Thailand going puritanical?

[dougrobinson2024]

Govt forces ISPs to block "inappropriate" web sites?

Thailand restricts online gamers?

Crackdown on bootleg VCDs, DVDs, software at Panthip, etc.?

What's going on here?  I can understand the need for law and order but is Thailand getting more and more restrictive, puritanical and "westernized"?  I, for one, like the fact that it's like the old wild west!

What's next?  Closing down all the massage parlours?

..I guess they just don't understand why all the farang love the country in the first place?  Tourist dollars would certainly suffer if they keep going.

[TRIPxCORE]

Yes I agree.  The Thai government has no clue how to make money.  They think all the farang come there to go and see temples, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!

[LPCustom69]

They had better start rethinking a lot of things or this off year tourism wise may start being looked at as a good year! Other countries in the area like Vietnam and Cambodia will take their place. They are becoming much more "user friendly" and are going out of their way to get what LOS has or had!

:cool:

[Pinkster]

The Government, and  more important the PM Sinawatra have to be seen both domestically and internationally to be doing the 'right thing'

Excuse a few sensational newspaper headlines and Picture propoganda opportunities and i believe you will find very little changes, if at all, anything.

If (and it is a BIG IF) Thailand truly wants to grow both economically and Socially as a nation, then it MUST shrug of its current international reputation. Only then will the country see any major inward investement from both international organisations and other governemnts and institutions.

However, this 'hard way' will cause some short term heartache, and not displease some sections of society.

Yes, Tourist $ may fall, but that is a drop in the ocean in comparison to the $ they can recieve from the likes of the USA if they are truly making effort to become more "westernized"

[dazdaz]

Exactly my thoughts!  This is all about *face* value!  The PM must be seen to be making changes, as that's what their supposed to do.  If anyone can provide hard statistics before and after these cleanups, that would make interesting reading.  

Also be careful over who provides those statistics, are they an independent third party, or working for the Government.

Also watch and be careful to see if the campaign is backed up with new legal legislation, this is a very old politicians trick! Unfortunately it works 99% of the time in fooling the people.

I may be wrong, but to see a country going through so many changes is alarming, the reality is that it's PR (Public Relations), it's funny how after all these years people still don't see through it.  Also ask yourself why these changes hav'nt happened earlier and why this PM is any different.  All that is different is that the PR department is more talented.

Always ask yourself,

"When in Asia, what is face and then what is the reality."

The greater the face value, the greater the problem that is underneath else why make such a big public show of the situation.

I'd like an expat forum for the rest of Asia, I think it'd be very interesting.

Regards  

[Pinkster]

The 'Massage parlours' serving the non thai market MUST be closed for Thailand to prosper. Fact. Might upset one or two farangs........ but hey, they can head of to Cambodia and Viet Nam.

Listen, i not trying to spoil your fun, but Thailand has a major problem..... are you in, or are you out? Thaksin must ask himself this every single day and night.  ???

[dougrobinson2024]

The 'Massage parlours' serving the non thai market MUST be closed..

Why?  Are you actually saying to leave the places open for the Thais but close all the ones down for the farang?  That's just a little ridiculous--and racist.  (Unless of course, you're just pulling my leg)??  

Look, I'm all for Thailand being prosperous, well-fed, well-educated, etc.  I love Thailand and I wish them all the luck.  And I think the government there should crack down hard on anyone involved in the "mafia", forced prostitution, hard drugs, anyone involved with child prostitution, etc.

But I also am of the opinion that there should be a choice.  If an adult woman wants to make a career out working as a "hostess", then it should be left up to her.  That is a moral choice and should not be legislated.  That's the problem we have here in the U.S., among others...

It's sort of like the debate going on right now about whether the government should open up casinos in Thailand.  They can certainly see the potential tax revenues.  So, I would wager they will go ahead, set it up so it's regulated by the government so it will create a new source of tax revenue.

And it should be the same thing for the adult entertainment industry.  It obviously already exists!  They should just acknowledge it, regulate it so it's clean and safe (and out of the hands of organized crime) and allow it to be a new source of tax revenues, which will in turn help Thailand as a whole.

[wolf5370]

Could not agree more dougrobinson2024.

4 Thai Casinos on the cards I hear. Legislation for licensing brothels etc perhaps - keep the child/forced prositioan out and enforced use of condoms etc. Personally I would not be caught dead in one (and would be dead if Wifey caught me in one   - wake up to semi-boiled penis soup!), but it will always happen, but keep it clean.

Thailand has always had the 'crack downs' especially on pirated goods. Just not on this scale - or with this publicity. I am sure, like the rest, it will blow over as soon as the IMF/G8/WTO etc are appeased. Just think of it as 'Crash Helmet day' - you know that 'every other Wednesday' when the cops are 'cracking down' on biker without crash helmets.

There's just too much money too high up the ladder for anything to truly change.

 

Yes, Tourist $ may fall, but that is a drop in the ocean in comparison to the $ they can recieve from the likes of the USA if they are truly making effort to become more "westernized"

mmmmm not too sure on this one. Have yet to see this. All big countries and their big guns (the corporations) are in the money making game, lower ciorrupotion just means they can take advantage of the cheap work force without paying so much in kick-backs.

Is this a suggestion that by towing the American/European line they will get hand outs. Hand outs usually come in the form of loans, which encourage more corruption and leaves the country in a bigger mess - look to Africa to see this.

Ask your average Russian if 'towing the line' helped to make their country richer. The only ones that profitted there were the Maffia!

Thailand benefits massively from tourism; every country in Asia is jealous of this income - it is unlikely it can be replaced as easily as strawberries for cocaine was - if at all. Loss of this revenue will see a return to coups and unrest - and power hoarding, the very thing you are realy trying to remove in the first place.

I am not condoning graft, but it is a tricky thing to get rid of - doubly so for a country so dependant on it.

[chonabot]

Yes, Tourist $ may fall, but that is a drop in the ocean in comparison to the $ they can recieve from the likes of the USA if they are truly making effort to become more "westernized"

Apparently Tourism is Thailands biggest export by far , I think a drop in the ocean is an understatement ???

[george]

What's next?  Closing down all the massage parlours?

..I guess they just don't understand why all the farang love the country in the first place?  Tourist dollars would certainly suffer if they keep going.

Hmmm. Sounds familiar...

[buasaard]

I guess they just don't understand why all the farang love the country in the first place?  Tourist dollars would certainly suffer if they keep going.

Are you sure? Do you think all farangs are alike?In another forum I read various comments of people in doubt if coming to Thailand, because of bad reputation in respect of prostitution.

Maybe a lot will switch to other countries, but a lot will be reassured and come to Thailand with their families. And a family spends more money than a single...

Anyway as I wrote in another thread (very similar) a government must think long-term, and long-term wise the government must think how to give a way of living without recurring to prostitution, not to please foreigners coming for sex.

I think it's time to start!

[muay_thai]

Anyone thought of how much of a "sex tourists" money goes to the government compared to how much of a "family tourist" goes to the government, I'm sure it is a big difference on spending patterns !!

[wolf5370]

I suppose that depends if you mean 'the government' the body, or 'the government' the individuals. Holiday makers and families will spread their cash around on trips, flights, VIP coaches, attractions, shops, hotels, taxis, tours, souvenirs, local crafts, markets and bazaars etc. Sex tourists, presumeably have a narrowwer scope, therefore a lot of cash would go to the black market (sex trade etc) and less to more conventional holiday purchases.

I would expect more tax revenue to come from the holiday makers, but nmore tea money from the sex tourist.

[george]

Seems that Purachai is not joking.....

----

Deim today's The Nation:

MASSAGE PARLOURS: Purachai set to impose order

Owners cringe at thought of crackdown

It promises to be a Nightmare on Sex Street. Even though he has yet to swoop down on the so-called "men's paradises", with the familiar stern face that had teenage pub-goers cringing in 2001, Purachai Piumsombun's shadow now looms large over Phetburi Road following his new brief to clamp down on massage parlours.

"It's goodbye privacy and hello TV cameras," sighed Narutchai Amnuaysuk, a manager at Mona Lisa. "Who will want to come in here when there's a good possibility of facing an army of police and reporters?"

Few would argue with that grim prediction, especially given the fact that Purachai is emerging from a forced political exile that followed a fall-out with the prime minister. This dormant volcano may be ready to erupt. The massage parlours thrive on commercial sex, which is against the law but toward which the authorities have long turned a blind eye. There are concerns now that if Purachai resorts to extreme measures against prostitution, the industry will be brought to its knees.

"It's fine if he's to tackle the problems of closing-time or building-rules violations," said Anan Chamroenchokepanit, who owns a massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road. "But we are anxious to know whether this is the beginning of a campaign against sex services. Everyone knows what's going on behind massage parlour doors, and if this fact will be no longer tolerated, we will be in deep trouble."

When he was interior minister in 2001, Purachai went to great lengths to impose a "Social Order" that kept teenagers out of pubs and discos, and forced adults to drink beer from ice buckets after midnight while looking over their shoulders like frightened animals. He led frequent night patrols and transferred officials who failed to enforce the rules.

Purachai became a popular political figure, but was then was abruptly moved to the Justice Ministry. There he fought bitterly with the old guard and was all but abandoned by mentor Thaksin Shinawatra, who kicked him upstairs by naming him a deputy prime minister.

Political insiders said Thaksin brought Purachai out of oblivion for two main reasons: The prime minister wants to make amends and bring him back into the fold, and the current man in charge, Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Maleenont has some "old scars" to cover.

"I'd rather have Pracha on the job," a man who frequents massage parlours commented bluntly, on condition of anonymity.

Commercial-sex entrepreneurs expressed fears that Purachai's rigid principles would wreak havoc on the industry. For example, they said, most massage parlours are operating before and beyond allowed periods, and a crackdown will affect huge investments which were based on illegal operating hours.

"Welcome to the party," said controversial massage parlour tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit, who has rocked the police force with charges that he had paid massive bribes to keep his business going. "He's the only man who can clean it up. He can visit my places any time because I have nothing to hide."

Napanisa Kaewmorakot

--THE NATION 2003-08-15

[monkeynobite]

SO WHAT YOU PPL BITCHING ABOUT??

WOULD YOU ALLOW ME TO COME TO YOUR RESPECTFUL COUNTRIES AND BEHAVE MYSELF LIKE YOU DO IN THAILAND?

YOUR MONEY MAY GET YOU WHAT YOU WANT IN THAILAND BUT YOU ARE MAKING THE THAIS FEEL LIKE BEGGERS BUY SHOWING OFF YOUR WALLETS.

WHO ON EARTH LIKES SUCH A FEELING. A FEELING OF HUMILATION.

I AM HAPPY AT WHAT THAILAND IS DOING. CLEANING UP.

ITS ABOUT TIME.

COMMON GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. YOU ARE GETTING AWAY WITH IT TOO CHEAPLY. ITS YOUR TURN TO PAY NOW.

TRY TO SPEND THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY IN YOUR FALANG COUNTRIES AND SEE HOW FAR IT WILL GET YOU.

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO THREATEN NOT TO COME BACK BECAUSE OF THE HIKE IN CERTAIN PRICES. I WOULD SAY GOOD RIDDANCE. STAY HOME. WE DONT NEED YOU HERE.

A NATURALISED THAI.

[dougrobinson2024]

SO WHAT YOU PPL BITCHING ABOUT??

Hmmm... OK, I'll stick my neck out and say in a way, I can understand what you are talking about but...

BUT....

For starters, I wonder who started the market for all this "nefarious activity"?  Was it the Thais?  Was it the farangs?  If the farangs started it, why does the "problem" seem to be primarily only in Thailand?  Right or wrong, I can think of no other country where this "problem" is so pervasive.

I am no expert on Thai culture or history, nor do I know that much about Buddhism.  But I suspect the "problem" may be an outgrowth of just how Thailand evolved.  Maybe a cross between (what seems to be the Buddhist) "mai pen rai" attitude and a keen business sense of knowing what people want...

Sure, there are a$$hole farang who come to Thailand and flaunt their wallets, humiliating the poor Thai ladies in the process.  I agree with you--shame on them!  And I don't personally approve of some of the disgusting "shows" I've been offered in Bangkok and Pattaya.  This kind of vulgarity probably should be stopped.  And of course, I'm certainly not for anything involving children--or for that matter, involving anyone who is in the business out of desperation.  

But, I don't see anything wrong with two consenting adults doing what they want in private, as long as no one is hurt.  Believe me, I've come across many Thai ladies who loved what they are doing and I think they would still do what they do, no matter what!

That's what is so great about Thailand!  The women there seem so sweet, so beautiful and sensuous, so uninhibited and guilt-free..  Unlike the women we have back home.  I can only attribute this fundamental difference to the differences between eastern culture and western culture.  It might even be rooted in the differences between Christianity and Buddhism.  Maybe I'm a little off-base on that, it's just a hunch...

Frankly though, I'm a little tired of other people imposing their belief structure on others (you included).  That's one reason why Thailand is so refreshing... It's all "up to you".  

Doug

[buasaard]

monkeynobite:

As you can see in my previous post, I agree that cleaning up has to be performed, but please do not shout, we are having a civil discussion.

Maybe you do not like someone's point of view, but anybody deserves respect.

Unfortunately a lot of thais when see a farang, think immediately how to squeeze money from him, also cheating them. Fault is not all on one side.Who is without sin, throw the first stone! (excuse me it the citation is not correct).

In addition do not forget, that a lot of thais live abroad and if nationalistic people like you, would prevail, it wouldn't be a good time for them.Farang People in "farang countries" are "fighting" for them to have the same rights as local people, and when I read nationalistic comments like yours, I hope it's not a waste of time. So farangs deserve the same respect that they pay to thai people abroad, we are already discriminated in Thailand, do not forget that thais can buy land in "farang countries" and can do everything locals can, but "farangs" cannot buy land in Thailand, and do not have the same rights as thais have.

But this is another story.

[ChiangMaiThai]

SO WHAT YOU PPL BITCHING ABOUT??

WOULD YOU ALLOW ME TO COME TO YOUR RESPECTFUL COUNTRIES AND BEHAVE MYSELF LIKE YOU DO IN THAILAND?

YOUR MONEY MAY GET YOU WHAT YOU WANT IN THAILAND BUT YOU ARE MAKING THE THAIS FEEL LIKE BEGGERS BUY SHOWING OFF YOUR WALLETS.

WHO ON EARTH LIKES SUCH A FEELING. A FEELING OF HUMILATION.

I AM HAPPY AT WHAT THAILAND IS DOING. CLEANING UP.

ITS ABOUT TIME.

COMMON GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. YOU ARE GETTING AWAY WITH IT TOO CHEAPLY. ITS YOUR TURN TO PAY NOW.

TRY TO SPEND THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY IN YOUR FALANG COUNTRIES AND SEE HOW FAR IT WILL GET YOU.

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO THREATEN NOT TO COME BACK BECAUSE OF THE HIKE IN CERTAIN PRICES. I WOULD SAY GOOD RIDDANCE. STAY HOME. WE DONT NEED YOU HERE.

A NATURALISED THAI.

These are the words of a complete idiot. Is the Thai government 'cleaning up' the thousands of thousands of local brothels that service an exclusively THAI clientel everyday? Why should the Thais feel humiliated if a farang has more money than them? Is this the fault of the farang? And how do the hi-so Thais driving their BMW's and Benz's make the Thai people you refer to feel? Again, should they be repremanded for having more money than other people? You say that we're getting away with 'it' too cheaply and its our turn to pay now. I don't think any of us have any influence on a world economy which dictates that certain currencies are more valued than others. Many of us come here becuase it is cheaper. Is there something wrong with this? And you don't think Thailand benefits at all from us huh? Then why does the government continue to spend big money trying to influence us to come spend our dollars here and not Laos, Vietnam, Phillipines, Burma, Malaysia etc. etc. Perhaps they know something you do not.

You make a very weak argument. Please resond and prove that you are not indeed a complete idiot.

[dougrobinson2024]

Sigh....  now they are banning 18 songs for being too naughty..  I think this has got to be a back-lash from the Thai version of the "moral majority"...  How could a country, known world-wide for it's openess and live-and-let-live attitude, swing so far back?

See: BIG BROTHER: You can't be serious!

Here's the text, just in case the page disappears:

BIG BROTHER: You can't be serious!

BANGKOK: Our moral guardians want to ban 18 'offensive' songs, including one that has been around for 20 years

The Culture Ministry's fight for the moral high ground is approaching new levels with its latest plan to ban 18 songs about love affairs which it deems offensive to "public decency".

The banned songs include those by two well-known artists, Suthep Wongkamhaeng and Chai Muang-sing.

The ministry wants the Public Relations Department to stop state-run radio and TV station broadcasting the songs.

Permanent Secretary to the Culture Ministry MR Chakrarot Chitrabongs said yesterday that the ministry's Cultural Watch Centre had determined that the songs had "improper" content and should be banned.

Chakrarot said he did not think the ban would violate individual rights, but allowing such songs to air could be regarded as violating the rights of people who disliked them.

Rather than being overly conservative, Chakrarot said, the agency was simply doing its job in preventing possible negative changes to society.

National Broadcasting Board member Phra Mahachow Thassa-neeyo said that, at the ministry's request, his board had warned record labels not to distribute songs that could be construed as encouraging sexual promiscuity or marital infidelity.

"If the warning is ignored, songs of this nature might face a permanent ban on all broadcasting outlets," the monk said.

Suthep said yesterday that he was surprised that his song, "Pid Tang Rak" (Wrong Way to Love), faces a ban nearly 20 years after its release.

"I see nothing wrong with the lyrics. The song is about a man who falls in love with a woman, but it's a one-sided affair - as if he's in a dream world. There's nothing immoral or provocative," the veteran singer said.

"I will have to explain this to the committee that deals with the matter," Suthep said.

He said the Culture Ministry should think about banning newer songs that contain vulgar and suggestive lyrics about indecent behaviour, particularly those in the look thung (folk music) genre.

Actress Sinjai Plengpanich, who sang the original "Chan Rak Pua Khao" (I Love Her Husband), one of the songs set to face the Culture Ministry ban, said such songs merely reflected events in society, but would not encourage people to do indecent things.

Sinjai said the song in question was more popular among adults than children.

"I agree that some songs are unsuitable for younger people. If the Culture Ministry is really serious about keeping order on the content of songs, they should set up a ratings system to designate the intended listeners," Sinjai said.

Jintana Suksanan, a fan of singer Lhong Longlai, yesterday voiced disagreement to the ban on his song "Choo" (Lover).

She said the lyrics were intended to be sarcastic and amusing - an evident characteristic of look thung songs - rather than encouraging indecent behaviour.

"Serious people don't listen to this kind of music [look thung]," she added.

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

Banned

Excerpts from some of the compositions on the Ministry of

Culture's blacklist of immoral songs:

"I Fear No Sins" by Yinglee Sreechumpol

"I know you have a wife, I've got used to that and I don't

care,

All I can do is look at you; I want to hold your heart,

Let them gossip, I don't care, I don't want to fight with her,

You are married, yet so tempting"

***

"My Wife Had An Affair" by Chai Muangsing

"My wife has had an affair, it's the talk of the town,

She left years of marriage and our children behind,

My blue-blooded sweetheart, you don't care about morals,

Always acting like Western stars do"

***

"I Love Her Husband" by Sinjai Plengpanich

"I am obsessed with a secret love for her husband,

People will call me names for loving her husband,

But forget about the ####, it's a true love"

***

"I Know That, But I Still Love You" by Charas Phuang-arom

"I know, I know, I know you have a sweetheart,

But I don't know why I cannot get over you,

And why am I still crazy for you as days and nights go by?"

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

The Blacklist - 18 Songs to Be Banned

1. "I Fear No Sins" (Bo Yan Bab) by Yinglee Sreechumpol

2. "I Fear Sin" (Ai Yan Bab) by Phaithoon Nhunchoke

3. "Big Flabby Buttocks" (Tai Aon Yaon) by Phaithoon

Nhunchoke

4. "Secret Lover" (Choo Tang Jai) by Dhanin Indarathep

5. "Wrong Way To Love" (Pid Tang Rak) by Suthep

Wongkamhaeng

6. "Leftovers" (Suan Kern) by Dowjai Paijit

7. "One Woman, Two Men" (Nueng Ying, Song Chai) by

Dowjai Paijit

8. "I Love Her Husband" (Chan Rak Pua Khao) by Sinjai

Plengpanich

9. "My Wife Had An Affair" (Mia Pee Mee Choo) by Chai

Muangsing

10. "Tears Of A Lieutenant's Wife" (Num Ta Mia Nai Roi) by

Jintara Poonlab

11. "Lover" (Choo Rak) by Why Not Seven

12. "A Mistress' Ultimatum" (Kham Khad Mia Noi) by Kanista

Thaidachai

13. "A Step-husband" (Pua Boontham) by Samphan Seripab

14. "Lover" (Choo) by Lhong Longlai

15. "Love In Mind" (Rak Nai Jai) by Winai Panthurak

16. "The Door Crushes The Hand" (Pratu Neeb Mue) by Paijit

Aksornnarong

17. "I Know That, But I Still Love You" (Tang Roo Koh Rak)

by Charas Phuang-arom

18. "Is It Sinful For Us To Love?" (Bab Nak Rue Ta Rao Ja

Rak Kan) by Suthep Wongkamhaeng

Source: The Nation

[wilson steer]

Number 17 on your list is one of my favourites, it's been around for donkeys years now.

These measures are laughable, but nothing surprises me about Thailand. I remember the president being interviewed in the U.K. he said "Thailand is the free(est) country in the world.

He was having a laugh I reckon. Next stop, I'll be busted for singing a banned song on my Kareoke VCD in the privacy of my own apartment, bubbled by the Thais across the way who will collect a pay off from my 2000 baht 'Offensive music' fine.

I'm off for a Chang, or is that allowed before 10.00 pm ? (The time beer adverts are allowed to be screened on T.V. from October).

[dr_Pat_Pong]

How many cities worldwide are sin free ?       ???

[samuisam]

What would be helpful, I think, is a process for regulating prostitution (as in Australia, Nevada (USA), the Netherlands and elswhere)  This way the women can become regular, valued members of society, and aquire wealth, respect and political clout.

This would include:

Unionization

Minimum (high) wages

Health and medical benefits and VD testing

a retirement plan

child care services

legal services

etc.

The Thai establishment has been feeding off these women for years, and ripping them off with high interest loans and the like, it is time they were protected.

[bkkgs]

[Not true. Not with GDP growth figures such as the ones his government presides over...I'd say many Thais are better off. More growth usually means more jobs. ]

More thais are better off at the moment. why? because banks, car dealers, department stores are giving away credit. a friend of mine (thai) went to look at new cars. a dealer tried to sell him a model costing twice what the model said he wanted to buy cost. he was told "dont worry, no payments for 6 months, low low payments (for 8 years), low low interest" (over 8 years not so low). he said he couldnt afford that model. my friend is educated and responsible enough to say "no thanks", but what about those who arent? look at how many red plates are on the streets now. look at how many purchases are made at big c, lotus, etc with credit cards. the jump in rental prices in bangkok? i'm not an economist, but  i arrived in '96 and this all seems vaguely familiar.

[mrentoul]

I don't think people would offer credit if they were not confident of getting it back. Who wants to be burnt twice?

Investors, likewise. My employer, for example, took on 100-plus more staff in the last quarter, some (but not all) related to a new venture, a Thai-language daily called Post Today.

That venture would never have started if the board was not confident of the investment climate and consumer confidence over the long term (new businesses do not return an immediate profit).

People were taken on across the board, from technical/trades jobs to pointy-heads. More than 100 new jobs - that's progress, and long may it continue.

[Butterfly]

[Not true. Not with GDP growth figures such as the ones his government presides over...I'd say many Thais are better off. More growth usually means more jobs. ]

More thais are better off at the moment. why? because banks, car dealers, department stores are giving away credit. a friend of mine (thai) went to look at new cars. a dealer tried to sell him a model costing twice what the model said he wanted to buy cost. he was told "dont worry, no payments for 6 months, low low payments (for 8 years), low low interest" (over 8 years not so low). he said he couldnt afford that model. my friend is educated and responsible enough to say "no thanks", but what about those who arent? look at how many red plates are on the streets now. look at how many purchases are made at big c, lotus, etc with credit cards. the jump in rental prices in bangkok? i'm not an economist, but  i arrived in '96 and this all seems vaguely familiar.

You are absolutely correct. The Thais are on a buying spree like before 1997. When you have employees making 10,000 bath a month looking to buy cars for 1 million bath, something is wrong. Put this in your local currency to have a better perspective. Would someone making 1,000 euros per month would by a 100,000 euros car ? I don't think so.

[george]

The discussion about Economic bubbles and miracles : Another crash?, continues here!

[george]

Police chief cracks down: 'No more sex in parlours'

http://www.thaivisa.com/index.php?514&backPID=10&tt_news=525

BANGKOK: Police chief Sant Sarutanond yesterday pledged to do what many believe is impossible - make all massage parlours sex-free.

His clampdown threat, which prompted many critics to ask "Why now?", is the latest twist in the convoluted showdown between police and controversial commercial-sex tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit.

Undercover officers posing as customers have visited Chuwit's five night-entertainment venues and rounded up operators and female masseuses on charges of prostitution.

Sant insisted that police had not discriminated against Chuwit, and that legal action would be taken from now on against any massage parlour found to provide sexual services.

"I have sent out a clear message, and that is 'no sex at massage parlours'," said a defiant Sant, who has admitted recently to being the business partner of a hotelier who also owns massage parlours.

"We need a better social order. We don't want to be a place where tourists who want just massage are handed a Bt3,000 bill and wonder what on earth is going on. The sex services are an embarrassment to our country, our image and our culture."

The police chief pledged to deploy undercover police on a regular basis and is looking at a legal possibility of "standardising" service fees at massage parlours in order to prevent operators from charging customers for sex.

"Fees must cover baths and massages only," he said.

But even Deputy Commerce Minister Watana Muangsook doubted that Sant's idea could be enforced.

"Only basic necessities are subject to price controls," Watana said. "If a private club wants to charge its customers Bt1 million each, nobody can stop that."

Chuwit yesterday led owners of massage parlours to taunt Sant for forgetting the principles of a market economy.

"The man has lost the plot," said Chuwit. "We are not a monopoly working on government concessions. Our clients won't die if they can't come to us, and nor do we force anyone to use our services."

The manager of a massage parlour on Phetchaburi Road accused Sant of trying to apply socialist concepts to a capitalist market. "Anywhere in the world, prices of luxuries are market-driven," he said.

Some massage-parlour customers believe the police are "doing the right thing for the wrong reason" after being embarrassed by Chuwit's bombshell claims that he paid massive bribes to senior policemen to keep his business going.

Members of the House committee on police affairs also questioned Sant's motives in their private talks, said the panel's spokesman, Wuthipong Chaisaeng. "Many of us see the raid on Chuwit's massage parlours as a discriminatory enforcement of the law," he said.

Chuwit is also facing money-laundering charges.

"I have been in this business for 10 years and the police have never bothered to search my places," the tycoon said.

"Now they have arrested my employees, poor girls. What will they do now, with police cornering them like that? I think all the officers involved in this inhuman action will get promotions."

--The Nation 2003-09-03

[LPCustom69]

Which basically means no sex at massage parlours frequented by farangs.

:cool:

[parryhandy]

nothing is done in this country for the right reasons all the good institutions are used as tools for business and political motives.there are no checks and balances.

what this basically means is this guy has overstepped the mark and one way or another hes toast.

[parryhandy]

"I have sent out a clear message, and that is 'no sex at massage parlours'," said a defiant Sant, who has admitted recently to being the business partner of a hotelier who also owns massage parlours.

you couldnt make this stuff up if it were not true.absolute joke.