Singapore's Open Secret

[wileycoyote]

Good article in today's Bangkok Post

http://www.bangkokpost.com//261008_Spectru...008_spec001.php

Wiley Coyote

[RAZZELL]

Very interesting read

Didn't know about the two Casino's planned for 2012. Even more trouble for Thailand's "holiday" industry.

RAZZ

[Groongthep]

The title of your thread, Secret Singapore, is rather misleading in that the prostitution along Singapore's Geylang Road is quite conspicuous and has never been any kind of a secret. The link that you provided leads to an article in the Bangkok Post titled Singapore's Open Secret. It's somewhat negative tone is rather ironic being that prostitution in Thailand is for the most part much more widespread than in Singapore.

There has been a lot of Singapore bashing in the Thai press ever since Taksin's AIS-Temesek deal a few years ago and this Bangkok Post article may have been intended to be another not so subtle cheap shot. Then again, maybe I'm reading too much into it and it was simply a "filler" or human-interest story. I don't know. I have noticed though that among many educated Thais there seems to have developed a perceived competition with Singapore in recent years. Competition for what I'm not exactly sure but I have sensed that educated middle and upper class Thais by and large have negative attitudes toward Singapore and Singaporeans. There must be something more to it than just the Temesek deal that I'm not aware of.

[sabaijai]

Agree, title changed.

[Martin]

When I worked in Singapore over twenty years ago, I had a Singaporean-Indian friend who drove a taxi, and from 10pm to 3am he only took his 'regulars'---people who had booked him to take them home from their businesses with their day's takings. (He used to see them safely through their front doors, as part of the service).

He invited me to ride along with him whenever I wanted to, and I soon found that I knew things abopuit Singapore that my Singaporean colleagues may have known about, but didn't talk about!!

That joke about Orchard Towers being "Four Floors of Whores" was an old one, even then.

The Geyland commercial-sex scene sounds much the same, but bigger.

[Captain Chaos]

Geylang aimed more at local men I think - the Towers more at foreigners (western I mean) - that's why although demolishing the Towers keeps getting discussed, it will never happen - the Singapore Chinese don't want a load of horny 'ang mo' (local term for farangs) and the US Navy when they're in town, rushing down to Geylang and bagging off with all the best looking chicks!

CC

[phibunmike]

The title of your thread, Secret Singapore, is rather misleading in that the prostitution along Singapore's Geylang Road is quite conspicuous and has never been any kind of a secret.

You are correct. In Singapore, prostitution is legal for registered sex workers in designated areas. I believe there are four designated 'red-light' areas; Geylang is the best known of them.

Orchard Towers, by the way, is not a designated red-light area, and prostitution there is illegal.

[LaoPo]

.....I have noticed though that among many educated Thais there seems to have developed a perceived competition with Singapore in recent years. Competition for what I'm not exactly sure but I have sensed that educated middle and upper class Thais by and large have negative attitudes toward Singapore and Singaporeans. There must be something more to it than just the Temesek deal that I'm not aware of.

Hidden envy...

The difference between educated -and maybe wealthy- Thai and Singaporeans, in the case they're both of Chinese descent (77% is Chinese), is the ability of the S'poreans to 'be', act, and live like Chinese, speak/read/write better English (also educated in English since they were born) AND speak Mandarin Chinese, in many cases.

It's also a LOT easier for S'poreans to travel abroad whilst the city of Singapore has a higher standard (so to speak) in appearance and infra structure than Bangkok, also as a financial center in the Far East, next to Hong Kong.

Bangkok will never be an important financial regional center also due to the lack of skilled and educated staff in English and finances. Not bashing here; just facts.

Apart from that, Temasek-Singapore is a world wide, extremely important financial player of magnitude with a portfolio of S$ 185 Billion. Thailand/Bangkok doesn't have such an important financial world wide player...

If many educated Thai have negative attitude towards their Singaporean counterparts I can only think of.....misplaced envy.

After all, Singapore has just 4.6 Million people, just a mere 7% of the total Thai population of 65 Million.

LaoPo

[Captain Chaos]

You are correct. In Singapore, prostitution is legal for registered sex workers in designated areas. I believe there are four designated 'red-light' areas; Geylang is the best known of them.

Orchard Towers, by the way, is not a designated red-light area, and prostitution there is illegal.

Technically there is no prostitution taking place in the Towers (it's all freelance stuff) so it's "just" a couple of adults leaving a bar together...

[tuky]

You are correct. In Singapore, prostitution is legal for registered sex workers in designated areas. I believe there are four designated 'red-light' areas; Geylang is the best known of them.

Orchard Towers, by the way, is not a designated red-light area, and prostitution there is illegal.

Technically there is no prostitution taking place in the Towers (it's all freelance stuff) so it's "just" a couple of adults leaving a bar together...

And no smoking now too!!!