The Mia Farang Of Isaan

[Harry Palmer]

"They are mostly typical Isaan women, rather dark skin, quite strong and healthy and not the type to attract typical Thai men," said researcher Decha Vanichvarod when asked to characterise mia farang, the Thai wives of foreign men."

"They are not 'beautiful' according to Thai men, or among the good-looking women who normally head for jobs in the sex industry in Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya."

a study surveyed 15,284 mia farang in 19 provinces of the Northeast, ranging in age from 20 to 52 years of age, and averaging 32. Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai were the top three home provinces in terms of numbers...

most of the women - 69 per cent - had an education no higher than Grade 6, 24 per cent made it to grade 9 and the remaining 7 per cent graduated from higher levels...

eighty per cent of them had been married before. many have children with thai husbands, the study found.

more than 50 per cent were from farming households and found they could not survive economically after breaking up with their husbands...

many seek jobs in the service sector, such as hotel maids, waitresses or masseurs, which they feel give them a better chance of meeting foreigners...

many meet western partners through neighbours or relatives who have married farang. the study says 63 per cent met their husbands independently in bangkok, pattaya or another big city, 35 per cent through a relative and 2 per cent on the internet...

"Before meeting their farang partners, 33 per cent of the women had worked in Bangkok for less than Bt5,000 a month; 17 per cent worked in Pattaya for a similar income; 13 per cent worked in other tourist cities for salaries around Bt7,000; 26 per cent were farmers with a Bt1,000-per-month income; and 11 per cent had already worked abroad, many in factories, for salaries in the Bt30,000 range."

"Since marrying, 72 per cent have become housewives and receive money from their husbands upon request. The women send an average of Bt8,000 a month back to their families."

"The top three home countries of the husbands are Germany, Switzerland and England (20, 14 and 12 per cent, respectively). Other husbands of the women surveyed were from Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, France, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, Scotland, Italy, Norway, Greece and Israel, and Asian nations including Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, with small numbers from Laos, Hong Kong, South Korea, Kuwait and China."

"Businessmen comprised the largest group of foreign husbands (22 per cent), with smaller numbers working as state officials, technicians, engineers, retirees, teachers and doctors. "

[wolf5370]

I wonder what the same study in Phillipines would show?

Not unexpected results I would hazard. We are talking large nmumbers with the majority tourists looking for a wife/partner.

It would be interesting to show that against people here - for example, my wife is none of the above (being upper middle class, very light skinned, educated and a teacher by trade in a private Thai only school before we met) - I wonder how the percentage of people that actually know something about the culture and are not just brochure-shopping would skew those stats if taken independantly?

[Totster]

I think this was just about covered here....

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php??showtopic=11854

totster

[mbkudu]

I've just read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that's from the Nation, Oct 15, 2004 which states: A recent survey by Thailand's National Economic and Social Development Board shows that an estimated 15,000 mia farang have injected about US$35,000,000 a year in this impoverished region near the border with Loas

known as Issan, an amount equivalent to 6% of Thailand's annual economic output.

I think these statistics alone put to rest the idea that foreigners as a whole do not contribute to Thailand as much as they should. 6% of annual output is not small potatoes, it's a he## of a lot of rice though.

[kenk3z]

I'm sure those "30 days in the hole" seemed like an eternity to HP. TV withdrawal must have been painful.

But to me its gone by much too quickly.

The rate of reform after a temporary posting ban seems rather small.

kenk3z

[Totster]

I'm sure those "30 days in the hole" seemed like an eternity to HP. TV withdrawal must have been painful.

But to me its gone by much too quickly.

The rate of reform after a temporary posting ban seems rather small.

kenk3z

Check date of the original post.....

totster

[kenk3z]

Good point. I'm awake now.

kenk3z

[budsc]

Have to agree with Wolf on this one,

Maybe they should have interviewed my wife. she is a very lovely 60ish and was never dark although there are a lot of very lovely dark thai ladies. Raised on a farm for sure but family had other buisness outlets ( i/m an old farm boy too) very good match.

Wonder why they didn't discuss the husbands age ed etc.

gone fishin

[no1willsa]

i only heard a few months ago that north east thai wives were refered as mia falang.

my wife laughed when i asked her about it.

she was happy to be called mia falang and made her proud

[Bizz]

"They are mostly typical Isaan women, rather dark skin, quite strong and healthy and not the type to attract typical Thai men," said researcher Decha Vanichvarod when asked to characterise mia farang, the Thai wives of foreign men."

"They are not 'beautiful' according to Thai men, or among the good-looking women who normally head for jobs in the sex industry in Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya."

a study surveyed 15,284 mia farang in 19 provinces of the Northeast, ranging in age from 20 to 52 years of age, and averaging 32. Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai were the top three home provinces in terms of numbers...

most of the women - 69 per cent - had an education no higher than Grade 6, 24 per cent made it to grade 9 and the remaining 7 per cent graduated from higher levels...

eighty per cent of them had been married before. many have children with thai husbands, the study found.

more than 50 per cent were from farming households and found they could not survive economically after breaking up with their husbands...

many seek jobs in the service sector, such as hotel maids, waitresses or masseurs, which they feel give them a better chance of meeting foreigners...

many meet western partners through neighbours or relatives who have married farang. the study says 63 per cent met their husbands independently in bangkok, pattaya or another big city, 35 per cent through a relative and 2 per cent on the internet...

"Before meeting their farang partners, 33 per cent of the women had worked in Bangkok for less than Bt5,000 a month; 17 per cent worked in Pattaya for a similar income; 13 per cent worked in other tourist cities for salaries around Bt7,000; 26 per cent were farmers with a Bt1,000-per-month income; and 11 per cent had already worked abroad, many in factories, for salaries in the Bt30,000 range."

"Since marrying, 72 per cent have become housewives and receive money from their husbands upon request. The women send an average of Bt8,000 a month back to their families."

"The top three home countries of the husbands are Germany, Switzerland and England (20, 14 and 12 per cent, respectively). Other husbands of the women surveyed were from Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, France, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, Scotland, Italy, Norway, Greece and Israel, and Asian nations including Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, with small numbers from Laos, Hong Kong, South Korea, Kuwait and China."

"Businessmen comprised the largest group of foreign husbands (22 per cent), with smaller numbers working as state officials, technicians, engineers, retirees, teachers and doctors. "

Nice to hear from you Harry i missed you.

Interesting article about Harry Here.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/page.arcvi...06-14&usrsess=1

More if you have the time

http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=MIA%2B...le+Search&meta=

Really did miss y Harry

[slappyharry]

luckily harrys ban isnt over yet, but alas it soon will be

[Superiorbeing]

Sad really, suppose someone is silly enough to marry one.

[poolcleaner]

luckily harrys ban isnt over yet, but alas it soon will be

Any chance that builder mate of his will get his ban lifted soon?

Now he was a wicked poster, always good for a larf!

[Totster]

Sad really, suppose someone is silly enough to marry one.

<deleted>

[Jeff1]

I seem to be agreeing with you alot Totster

[Gazza]

Sad really, suppose someone is silly enough to marry one.

What's so sad about having been happily married to one for 15 years and raising 3 children, while friends back home are getting divorced within a couple of years.

[slappyharry]

luckily harrys ban isnt over yet, but alas it soon will be

Any chance that builder mate of his will get his ban lifted soon?

Now he was a wicked poster, always good for a larf!

Unfortuneately from what i understand, the moderators and admins caught him and beat him to death, its a shame really that they dont do that to young Harry.

Still its only a couple of weeks and young Harry will be welcomed back and then banned again for more indescresitions.

his infatuation with bargirls and ladymen does not do him any good on forums, from the emails I have recieved from young Harry he has been banned from most Thai forums and has been reduced to posting in a Thai teachers forum while pretending to be a teacher, still I suppose it makes a change from his boring job on the factory line screwing a widget into each widget that passess him on the conveyor belt...