YouTuber Labels Phuket Myanmar Community 'Slum,' Faces Backlash - video

[snoop1130]

 

A recent YouTube video labelling a Myanmar migrant community in Phuket as a "slum" has stirred controversy, drawing responses from local leaders and charities. The video, posted on the channel Ride with Gabi, portrayed the community as impoverished, highlighting cramped living conditions for workers who sustain themselves with unstable incomes from the fishery industry.

 

In response, Sister Lakana Sukhsuchit, the director of the Good Shepherd Sisters Thailand's centre in Phuket, decried the term "slum," suggesting it misrepresented the community, which she identifies simply as a fishing village by the sea. The centre has supported the community for over a decade, offering education and essential services to the children of these workers.

 

 

 

Last year, 395 students, predominantly Burmese but also from the Mon and Karen ethnic groups, attended the centre's school. They receive lessons in Thai to ease their integration into local schools, with additional teachings in Burmese and English.

 

 

Officials are reportedly assessing security concerns raised by the video, with local authorities visiting the community since its release. Sister Lakana assured that her charity's educational efforts aim to empower these children to make positive societal contributions, countering fears they might become burdens on the area. This incident underscores the delicate balance between representation and reality in media portrayals of vulnerable communities, reported The Thaiger.

 

 

-- 2025-03-18

 

 

[snoop1130]

YouTuber's Phuket Exposé Ignites Debate Over Poverty and Neglect

 

Pictures courtesy of The Phuket News

 

Renowned YouTuber Ride with Gabi has stirred significant online discussion with his latest video, The Other Side of Phuket. The video reveals stark contrasts between Phuket’s famed tourist attractions and the impoverished conditions in its largest slum. Gabi's journey into the Soi Kingkaew area uncovers the dire circumstances facing many residents, largely comprised of non-Thai individuals lacking official recognition by the Thai government. This lack of status severely limits their access to essential services such as education.

 

Gabi sheds light on the vital efforts of the Good Shepherd Phuket Town charity, which supports slum children by providing free education and meals. Despite legal guarantees for universal free education in Thailand, real barriers persist, leaving many children in limbo. Viewers, moved by Gabi’s insightful presentation, expressed their frustrations online, slamming perceived government inaction and demanding accountability, with some urging legal action for dereliction of duty.

 

 

 

In response to the viral exposure, the Phuket Provincial Office announced an upcoming press conference to address the concerns raised. The impact of Ride with Gabi’s work is evident, fuelling fresh discourse around the obligations towards Phuket's marginalized communities and pressing for tangible reforms.

 

 

As a relatively private figure, Gabi lets his impactful content speak for itself. His growing audience of 234,000 subscribers benefits from his blend of travel diaries and candid explorations of social issues. While his exposé resonates with a broad audience, it also emphasises the ongoing challenge Phuket faces in aligning its glittering image with the harsh realities of its overburdened slum communities, reported The Thaiger.

 

-- 2025-03-18

 

 

[Airalee]

Watching the video now.

 

If that’s not a slum, what is?

[TedG]

3 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Watching the video now.

 

If that’s not a slum, what is?

It’s a slum. 

[hotchilli]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

In response to the viral exposure, the Phuket Provincial Office announced an upcoming press conference to address the concerns raised.

Nothing to see here... move on.

[fondue zoo]

I don't have to go to Phuket to see this, the capital has its own share.

[Aussie999]

1 hour ago, fondue zoo said:

I don't have to go to Phuket to see this, the capital has its own share.

Shhh... Tik tok creators argue Bangkok is beautiful, modern, etc, though I suspect they rarely travel far from their hotels.

[Purdey]

Anyone who travels around Thailand knows that impoverished farmers live in tin huts like these. People are just embarrassed when the real state of living in Thailand is exposed. The Good Shephard foundation is helping people without the means to survive. 

[black tabby12345]

I just watched his video.

Just cannot understand why his program was  criticized.

Just because he called that migrant workers' living quarter "slum"?

 

These migrant workers  are certainly living in a poor condition.

But there are devotional righteous people doing their best to make a change for the better there.

And this YouTuber faithfully and sufficiently covered such people's efforts.

As well as the actual improvement attained.

 

I felt the negative critics on cyber space Very Shallow.

Not referring to the program contents itself.

Instead, just picking one negative phrase for senseless accusation.

[black tabby12345]

In response to the viral exposure, the Phuket Provincial Office announced an upcoming press conference to address the concerns raised. 

----------------------------------------------

 

Looks like those bureaucrats sitting in A/C comfort panicked, all of sudden.

As a travelling  videographer  covered the topic  they have long pretended Non-Existing.

 

Everyone knows huge amount of seafood consumed in that region.

But few have ever thought about the "invisible" people working this hard to put the fish on someone else's table.

 

Will his footage lead to any positive input from the provincial administration? 

As this "issue" was already addressed to this kingdom.

[Caldera]

It sure looks like a slum to me!

[BusyB]

Poor/er quarter. Shanty town. With added descriptors and qualifications as/if needed.

 

Slum is a loaded negative word that denies the inhabitants' dignity.

[ChipButty]

I think this video went against the grain with the authorities, most of his videos show the beautiful beaches and lifestyle tourist want to see, and that didn't, if you have lived here a long time we all know they exist, and not just that place,  

[worgeordie]

You cannot expect anything more ,the wages the workers are getting is a pittance,

how can they better themselves, 

 

regards worgeordie 

[Freddy42OZ]

1 hour ago, BusyB said:

Poor/er quarter. Shanty town. With added descriptors and qualifications as/if needed.

 

Slum is a loaded negative word that denies the inhabitants' dignity.

 

 

I've lived in and traveled around Asia for over 50 years.  What I've never been able to understand is why the people who live in these shacks turn the entire area around their homes into disgusting dumps.  Doesn't matter where you go, if people are  living in shacks, the area around them is just littered with garbage. Often so much so that plants stop growing.  

If they had any dignity wouldn't it make sense to keep the area outside their homes clean?