Racism in thailand

[Dove]

It is not a matter of being black, brown, yellow or white, but it is a fact that no matter where you go in the world you are accepted as a tourist but when you are staying in the country competing with the locals for a piece of the cake you suddenly become unwanted.

Thai people are polite and smile at everything, they don't ask much questions when they are taught but they are inqusitive and would like to know where you come from, how many children do you have, how old are you etc. But can you read their hearts. No nobody can.

Sometimes I see that they do not approve of the ways of the farangs but often the locals sent cross signals and confuse the farangs.

[Heng]

What are some of those cross signals, Dove?

[samran]

from my experience, how much influence you have and how rich you are are real deciding factors, in at least in Bangkok. Social Status and classification then usually follows.

classification by race (the whiter the better) is just a handy way to rank people, until they find out how rich you are.

if you are rich, then you must be smart (eg Thaksin), regardless of the means of how that wealth was aquired.

Only when you have been accepted into a certain "group" or communitiy in Thai society does the real back stabbing begin- thai style!!

[frankganderson]

20 July 2007

Racism is alive and well in Thailand.

As a Caucasian from the USA, married to a Thai lady for 38 years, living in Korat, I had a local woman defending an abbot here actually file a charge of lese majeste against me, incite the public over community radio to try to have us thrown out of the country, been called a foreigner damaging the religion, nation and monarchy, and my wife, who is half-Indian and half-Thai, was subject to some of the most foul abuse on the radio and in other public venues by this abbot protector. What was said?

"They are foreigners trying to damage our nation."

"She [my wife] is not a real Thai. Her father was Afghan/Pakistani. She is a Muslim."

"They are foreigners trying to enslave the Thai people."

There was a lot, lot more, subject of a book I am working on but it's tough because it was personal. Police did nothing, the governor told us to take it to court, and the idiot is still bragging about how great a heroine she is.

We were publicly sworn at, my wife was manhandled, her 59 year old female assistant was punched in the stomach and slapped in the face - inside temple grounds - because of trying to exercise, very quietly, normal Thai freedom.

There are really two kinds of foreigners in a sense: those who live on the periphery and really don't know what's going on, and those who live in the 'real world' who are subject to the same harsh treatment that many Thais treat each other with, except that increased prejudice is present.

<font color='#000000'>I have no problems in the village.

We live next door to my inlaws and most everyone in the village is either an inlaw or a cousin and this a large village. My father in law is an X headman,and we asked the head man if he would go to amphur to verify my residents here,no prob,he went into town the next morning instead of his fields to work.I am well recieved here,but what I was talking about earlier was the way most thais act in the towns and phetchabun is not a real large city.but also in the whole country there seems to be a lack of consideration for anyone. and they had a computer game shop here, they had to close it because the young kids was spending all their time there instead of study and homework,so they forced them to close instead of the parents taking responsibility for desipline of their own kids,so it looks like the next generation will grow up with the same manners as the present one. #### hard for a country to climb out of the pit when no one knows how to work together,take orders, and respect his fellows.</font>

[retiredusn]

I have never seen anything like what is being discussed. I have a little old farung wife and we go too a lot of different places and have also been treated the same as we treat with respect..........

[ColPyat]

20 July 2007

Racism is alive and well in Thailand.

As a Caucasian from the USA, married to a Thai lady for 38 years, living in Korat, I had a local woman defending an abbot here actually file a charge of lese majeste against me, incite the public over community radio to try to have us thrown out of the country, been called a foreigner damaging the religion, nation and monarchy, and my wife, who is half-Indian and half-Thai, was subject to some of the most foul abuse on the radio and in other public venues by this abbot protector. What was said?

"They are foreigners trying to damage our nation."

"She [my wife] is not a real Thai. Her father was Afghan/Pakistani. She is a Muslim."

"They are foreigners trying to enslave the Thai people."

There was a lot, lot more, subject of a book I am working on but it's tough because it was personal. Police did nothing, the governor told us to take it to court, and the idiot is still bragging about how great a heroine she is.

We were publicly sworn at, my wife was manhandled, her 59 year old female assistant was punched in the stomach and slapped in the face - inside temple grounds - because of trying to exercise, very quietly, normal Thai freedom.

There are really two kinds of foreigners in a sense: those who live on the periphery and really don't know what's going on, and those who live in the 'real world' who are subject to the same harsh treatment that many Thais treat each other with, except that increased prejudice is present.

That is a shocking tale, and more than plausible. There is very little defense if the three pillar argument is brought up against you.

What has initiated this nightmare?

[hotelier]

wow...this topic actually started 4 years ago!

sorry I know I'm off topic..

Been here almost a year but I noticed the racism against Indians and Arabs

Edited July 20, 2007 by hotelier

[digitele]

We all have our prejudices - learn to control them. This world is getting smaller and there isn't room for the follies of past generations!

Smartest Guy in the room.

Or Woman................

[PaulUSA302]

When it comes to Non-Thai trying to explain "Thai-Think" to me, I take it with a grain of salt. Before I came to Thailand I went to a message board and asked about Thailand, the people and how they felt about Americans and Black Americans.

The Farang guys warned me that Thai people do not like black people and I would not be made to feel welcome and on and on.

I got a private message from a Thai person who told me that I will be made very welcome and would be treated like a celibrity because most Thai only see Black Americans on TV, in sports and in Music Videos...

When I arrived, I was made to feel very welcome! Walking near my hotel taking pictures, I was stopped several times by locals. We talked and they asked me questions and asked to have a photo taken with me!

Walking past a family eating outside in Pattaya, an older Thai woman saw me and began to yell Chocolate Man with a smile on her face and she seemed genuinly thrilled to see me!

I could tell you 100 tales of how Thai men and women have gone out of their way for me.

I can't tell you how many times I have gone into the mall to shop and as I pass a store with young girls, how they giggle and smile at me... Or when I was flying back home and one of the flight attendants said something to another flight attendant who told me that the other girl said that she likes me!

So when I read a Farang say that Thai people as a whole don't like Black People as a whole... I have to laugh because it tells me that they don't know the Thai People.....

[digitele]

from my experience, how much influence you have and how rich you are are real deciding factors, in at least in Bangkok. Social Status and classification then usually follows.

classification by race (the whiter the better) is just a handy way to rank people, until they find out how rich you are.

if you are rich, then you must be smart (eg Thaksin), regardless of the means of how that wealth was aquired.

Only when you have been accepted into a certain "group" or communitiy in Thai society does the real back stabbing begin- thai style!!

Very articulate. So true. Samran. But then again, they haven't been accepted yet!

Laughing out loud here.

[TopDogger]

Has anyone seen any Indian Thais, married to Thais?

A very good friend of mine who is Indian Thai has a Thai Chinese gf, and his brother is married to a Thai Chinese girl from a very well off family.

[PattayaAddict]

I only up to now really only saw it once :

Black guy was staying in the same hotel as me and a Katoey who was waiting for someone in the bar started having a go against him for being black whilst the guy was simply just having a drink -there was NO reason whatsoever for the Katoey to quick of as the guy was just minding his own business i can assure you of this i just think that the katoey was really high as a kite .

The Katoey weighted about 60 kilos max and this guy about a good 120 -one go and it would have punched the Katoey flat out but he just decided to make a move into his room after listenining for 10 min of abuse .