johnnybangkok

And many on here find it absolutely astounding that you are not getting what is being discussed, but offer little more than the usual nonsense we hear from so many. No one is condoning drug dealing, but not for the reasons you are so hysterically talking about. Drugs are always going to be prevailant wherever there is demand (and that's pretty much everywhere). What needs to be done is to decriminialise it so those that have become addicted or are in trouble can be given the professional MEDICAL help they need. You don't victimise alcoholics so why demonise drug addicts? Secondly, the biggest issue with drugs is the criminal guys that are behind it. They cause as much death and destruction as the drug itself and infilitrate all sectors of society to include politicians and police forces. Petty theft and burglaries are usually down to people tring to get enough money to feed their habit. It's an endless cycle that hasn't changed for literally decades. A sensible discussion centred around scientific and medical evidence without the histronics from people like yourself is what's needed but that will never happen when the first thing out of people's mouths like yourself is 'he's a drug dealer and probably addict .... he can rot in hell'. You are NOT adding to the discourse and offer no other solutions other than the usual diatribe which has been offered for centuries WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS. Try and become part of the solution. It might make a nice change for you.

What a bunch of hysterical nonsense. 'Destroy the country" really? You obviously have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about and come across as rabid with a VERY predictable, knee-jerk reaction of the uneducated. I bet you lump ALL drugs under the one umbrella, with very little knoweldge of any of them? Well I have some news for you; the war on drugs is very much lost (drugs won), saner and more sensible minds are slowly understanding that not all drugs are the same (hence the recent advancements with cannabis) and sensible policies such as Portugal has introduced to decriminalise all drugs will soon be prevailant throughout the more sane countries. You better start getting used to it.

The last bastion of the drug uneducated..... 'but, but..what about the kids. Will SOMEONE please think about the kids'. As my post above mentions, the vast majority of drug dealers have no interest in dealing to kids for some very easy reasons:- 1. Kids can't afford it. A gramme of coke in Thailand will set you back about 2,500-3,000 PER GRAMME. Know many 10 years olds with that kind of money lying around? 2. Most dealers have families themselves and wouldn't dream of selling to kids. There's an unspoken code about all this. As surprising as this may seem, their clients are adults (mostly responsible and mostly holding their lives together thank you very much) and therefore hold responsibility for their own actions. There's really no need to bring kids into the argument at all as it just doesn't happen.

'These passed through his system and were found to contain 15.33 grams of cocaine'. And he's pointing to 7 packages. Anyone got his number? Asking for a friend.

Yeah because most drug dealers customers are 10 year old kids and pregnanat women! This may come as a surprise but there's plenty of p[eople out there who are NOT 10 year olds or woman to keep these guys more than busy.

Thank you Margaret Mead. We appreciate the anthropological lesson but it is 2022 and hopefully (although it might not seem from this thread) we have moved on from thinking that a child is “fair game”, even if her actions say otherwise.

Fair point, well said. And I apologize if that was your true intent but you’ve got to admit it’s a VERY black and white issue. Any argument that points the finger at anyone other than a grown man who not only has this child in his bed but (if the story is to be believed) has a harem, then perhaps you can also understand the incredulity when you don’t just come out and say he’s an absolute deviant.

No but it is the laws when the person is considered a child.

Ok, then what about this comment;- 'Would it still be the adult doing everything? I'll answer for you: no, of course it wouldn't, so what you said is illogical'. Or this one:- 'Sorry, you're saying that if a 14 year old girl came onto an adult and initiated sex, that would mean he was coming on to her and initiating sex? No. Or even this one;- 'Not that I mentioned court, but are you suggesting that if factually the girl came onto the guy and initiated sex, and you said that in court, they would say "no, the guy came onto the girl and initiated sex"? Just seems a bit weird. If the girl came onto the guy then the girl came onto the guy. Can you perhaps see why people think you might just be victim blaming or at least NOT condemning the perpetrators?

In the immortal words of Columbo, 'Let's take you back to the scene of the crime'. The comment above is indicative of most of your comments on this subject, joining many in victim blaming and 'well is it really an problem if she initiates it?' You are now trying the 'I'm only commenting on what I see' and trying to play the victim with 'Why should I have to condemn it? I haven't defended it. I haven't said that it's a good thing'. Well the above comment (like many of your comments) isn't exactly snow white in the blame game is it? At least own up to your bias.

Ok Switzerland you just sit on the fence and don't get your hands dirty. No one really cares but why you feel the need to justify their actions as 'it's just their culture' is what beggars belief. You don't need to actually do anything but you could at least voice that it's wrong. This is anonymous after all. No- ones coming to get you in your closeted exhistance.

Your personal anecdotes have very little bearing on the vast majority of children in a similar situation to you. As I said before, well done for doing so well out of what is literally a broken home story but why you think this would be the same outcome for anyone else I really don't know. 99% of children with the same back-story would have very different outcomes to yourself, most of which would be tragic and horrible. Oh and by the way, don't think you're the only success story on here. You have no idea about who I am, what I've done and what I continue to do. Unlike yourself I have no need to brag about my accomplishments or my wealth to make myself look bigger. It's reallyv rather unbecoming all round.

We get your point; it really isn't that sophisticated. OUR point is why aren't you condemning it? Why do you sound almost concillitory towards it? Why are you victim blaming and contunually saying it's the child's 'free choice' when it's a child and that child is not held responsible for it's actions until much, much older?

So why haven't you condemned it? Not a single one of your posts condemns the practice, so what are we supposed to think?

Exactly. Don't even know why this is a debate. Many on here saying 'but it's the Thai way' with none of them condemning it. We are talking about a 14 year child. Even if that's close to the 15 years cut off, what age does it become NOT ok? 13? 12? 10? 9? Underage children are underage children. It's really as simple as that.

I beg to differ and so would all those teenagers roaming the streets in any major capital, addicted to drugs and having to rely on prostitution. It's admiral how you managed to buck the trend but don't think you coming out of a terrible upbringing as 'fine' is the norm. The vast majority aren't.

Fortunately this isn't the 1950's/60' or whenever you were 14 years old and a lot more is known about the maturity of children at certain ages these days. You may have thought you were making choices out of 'free will' but it sounds like it was more likely necessity driven by your unfortunate home circumstances. You were a child and should never have been left to these outcomes. She is a child and has neither the brain capacity, maturity or life experience to know anything about what is good for her. That's why there are laws to protect children, so once again, stop trying to make it sound as if this girl is a grown adult making sensible life choices. She isn't but there is an adult involved who DEFINATELY knows better.

Your silly, anectdotal stories have no bearing on this matter so they should be ignored. No one is denying there are cultural aspects to how sex is viewed in Thailand and in the most cases it's healthy and to be encouraged and no one is 'pretending' it isn't happening, however, it's a VERY different thing when you are talking about minors and I'm not really sure why you can't see this or feel compelled to argue about it. No amount of local culture, tradition or general acceptance should be used as an excuse when it comes to having sex with children. It's just plain wrong and if you can't see that then there really is no hope for you.

It's not cultural when it's against the law. The legal age for sex in Thailand is 15 (about a year younger than most other western nations) so until the child reaches that age then there really isn't any question of who is/isn't to blame; they are NOT considered adults so the real adults have to take responsibility and also the blame. I remember being 14 and really, really wanting to drive. Guess what? I couldn't because I was too young. Likewise with this subject, it doesn't matter a jot what the child wants or does, it's illegal and the adults should know this and be held responsible and we should all be holding ourselves and those responsible to these high moral standards that you so glibbly discard. And it IS victim blaming when you blame a child for their actions in matters such as this.

Way to victim blame. Whilst it may be true the vast majority of these types of cases are due to issues and troubles at home, there really is no excuse for hebephilia (sex with minors between ages 11 and 14) or pedophilia or ephebophilia (sexual with adolescents between 15 and 16) from the perpetrators. The responsibility is not with the children; it's with the adults.

Exactly. Even at 20 weeks, rarely is it a choice but more a medical emergency where the mothers life is at risk or the foetus is unviable. No mother is 'choosing' to abort a child this late unless they absolutely have to.

Absolute scaremongering nonsense. No one and no country in the world is talking about allowing 'abortion of an innocent up to the moment of birth'. If you can't get your facts right then simply don't comment.

One more time for the those lacking reading comprehension. I am replying to specific people who are commenting that no one gets paid well in Thailand. I am NOT commenting on the topic 'How much does the average Thai person earn?' as (amazingly enough), I understand that '90% don't get much'. Really not sure why this is so hard to understand.

And you are missing my point. All I'm doing is replying to posters who are saying that people don't get paid much in Thailand. My original post (on page 3) was replying to Peterw42 who insisted that someone quoting 350k salaries were 'ridiculous figures' and the poster above Pouatchee who commented ' I would like to know what jobs these guys are doing, cos even back home those are mighty fine salaries'. These are answers to specific posts rather than generally commenting on 'How much do the average Thai person earns'

You are comparing apples and oranges. No one is debating that lower level jobs in Thailand don't pay much but my point is that this idea that EVERYONE in Thailand gets paid a pittance is just simply wrong. There are plenty of roles paying in excess of 100k THB (IT, data analytics, oil & gas, banking & finance, FMCG, manufacturing, pharmacueticals etc) and as I've demonstrated, plenty of roles paying in excess of 300k. There's a reason why you see so many new cars in Bangkok or why new apartments sell for 10M THB and upwards. I live in Thong Lor and 2 new apartment blocks (each must have in excess of 150 apartments and are selling for a minimum of 10M THB) built near me are completely sold out 9 months since their completion. There's money here and it's not just with the hi-so's.