Bangkok Schools Lose Condom Vending Machines

[Loz]

The more you demonize sex, the more curious kids will be.

Look at France, they let kids drink in cafes.The result, kids don't think booze is a big deal. Compare to England, kids getting wrecked hiding under a bridge then beating up old folks and babies and generally clocking up an unrivaled number of ASBOs

trust kids with the truth and be pleasantly surprised. or pretend you can hide it from them and be woefully disappointed.

You'd think it would be a no brainer...but...

[Artisi]

dam_n! its back to using plastic food bags then........

good job the authorities warned of the dangers of using plastic food bags eh

In days-of-old

when knights were bold

and "frenchies" weren't invented

they wrapped their socks

around their cocks

and babies were prevented.

[kropotkin]

What is a deputy city clerk?

[yumidesign]

These parents prefer their daughters to have unwanted pregnancies then?

As usual this news item is confusing in the extreme is it about school vending machines or park ones. Either way its obviously a most stupid idea. Scary to think that the people making these decisions are the same ones running the country

[hungryhippo]

better keep students unsafe and stupid in stead of educating them and giving a mean to protect themselves against not only HIV/AIDS/unwanted pregnancies but also a lot of other sexual transmittable deasises

welcome to the 21 century

Unsafe and stupid pretty much describes the madness of this whole country.

[travelinthai]

I'm not familiar with those parks and don't want to sound like an idiot and may be off base, but if they are like nice parks with trees and stuff, then it sounds quite strange to have condom machines in parks. I'm totally familiar with the "sex scene" in Thailand, and that's all good with me, I'm just thinking do we have to have it everywhere, like even in the parks? Again, these parks may be sex-parks central, so I may be way off base, and someone let me know if I am, but can't we figure out a better way to educate the teenagers? Send them advertising through their X Boxes and IPODS, or blast them through commercials while they are getting inundated by tv!! Other opinions?

[Credo]

Sex is a drive fueled by hormones. By and large it is out of the control of most people, especially teenagers. Condom machines in parks are fine. The toilet at my nearby grocery store has a condom machine and I very, very much doubt that people are having sex in the area, but it does get a fair amount of use.

I am curious about how they know who buys condoms. Is there a little hidden camera with gaydar? Is there a button to press to tell the dispenser your sexual preference, your hobbies and your occupation? Or did someone just make this up.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I saw a machine on which someone had feltpenned the words 'This is the worst chewing gum I have ever tasted'

[BlueSmurf]

Ever heard of 7-11?

Yes I'am sure the students have heard of 7-11, but come on were you happy as a teenager buying condoms over the counter in full view of all and sundry? Thats the attitude that took these machines out of the schools...

[kannon99]

What a great way to add to the already high rates of teen pregnancy and now adding STI transmission and more.

It seems that someone sat down and thought, hmm what could I do to help improve the system, how about we get rid of the condom machines to reduce kids having sex, aren't I smart with this great idea? Aren't I original?

Why not have these lame-brains go look at the research and programs that WORK in other countries and just implement these instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and start back at square one?

[softgeorge]

This is the same madness as in the US and other nations with obvious problem in handling teenage sexuality. Removing the condom-machine will not stop the kids from having sex -- it will stop them from having safe sex.

No wiser words have been said. You have the Thai Government on one hand saying it want's to reduce teenage pregnancy and they are looking at steps to reduce unwanted teenage pregnancy. Then they have on the other hand want to remove condoms from teenagers. I may not be as intelligent as all these thai government officials but I thought condoms would play a significant part in reducing unwanted pregnancy. Maybe I am not thinking logically.

[benbear]

I saw a machine on which someone had feltpenned the words 'This is the worst chewing gum I have ever tasted'

I saw sign on the national library saying "stop teenage mum", so I guess that campaign is not going to well.

Put the machines back.

[ballpoint]

I saw a machine on which someone had feltpenned the words 'This is the worst chewing gum I have ever tasted'

But the bubbles are amazing.

[Farrier]

mai mee ban haa

[Huey]

These parents prefer their daughters to have unwanted pregnancies then?

Some people really need to get punched in the face and forced to accept accountability and reason. They should be stocking these machines for V.day as opposed to removing them. What idiots.

[powderpuff]

Yes I'am sure the students have heard of 7-11, but come on were you happy as a teenager buying condoms over the counter in full view of all and sundry? Thats the attitude that took these machines out of the schools...

My point is that if children want condoms it's easy to get them. Parents should make sure their boys & girls carry condoms at all times & show kids how to don them. Make it fun. Get a carrot or cucumber.

[powderpuff]

You make it sounds like kids are boinking in the lavatories. True?

[Bagwan]

Ian, I think your thoughts echo mine. It's the Thai parents fault for closing their eyes, for not wanting to open their eyes rather

It'll be a bit better next generation but not too much...

This is Thailand. Buddha will take care.

[dudeinthailand]

Is it a necessary or UNNECESSARY provocation?

[tragickingdom]

ignorance rules in Thailand. There is no decent sex education. The Thai elite who always knows best, deprives pregnant children from an education as they are banned from schools, condoms may not be sold close to schools and abortion must be performed in dark dirty rooms by housekeepers. In the meantime the complaining fathers frequent brothels disguised as massage parlours or Japanese restaurants and is the prime minister appointing brothel owners as commerce ministers. It all makes perfectly sense when you want to keep the status Quo.

[jobsworth]

Maybe the Pope and the Catholic Church is behind this.

Maybe the NGO's and the fundamentalist Christians are behind this.

[Nisa]

Most buyers of condoms from vending machines at both parks are male exercisers and runners, male prostutites, gay lovers and homeless people, said Pheeraphong.

I guess he must have staked out the condemn machines the past 6-months to verify the homeless folks make up the top 5 of types of people buying condemns. I'm also assuming they must have followed all the males home to verify they were indeed buying them for use between gay lovers.

[creck]

I was going to add my thoughts, but they have been adequately covered. I agree with, I think everybody here, all saying this is absolute idiocy!

First thread I have seen where there are no dissenters.

[dighambara]

This just reflects the attitudes in this country at the moment , it seems that most Thais are looking to the past with rose tinted glasses.In a modern age with all the open access to media of different forms eduction becomes more and more important.children are subjected to masses of information and with out education this can take them on troubled paths.These parents should have shown their maturity and used the presence of these machines to explain the dangers of STD'S and unwanted pregnancies.

The school should have also stood its corner and maybe educated the parents as to why it was a good idea to have the vending machines in place.

I agree - A very real & common, but illogical situation. Everyone views the world thru rose panes.

Yes, Children always have sex - in varying degrees. Most folks I know were 'Playing Doctor' by the time they were 10 and more actively engaged by the age of 14 - girls a little earlier...

I even had a 13 year old Thai niece who ran away from home to stay at a hotel for 4 days keeping her male friends happy. The Thai solution was to move her to a very rural village and marry her off to the first guy who showed an interest.

So, you went to Yale and still know how to think - FANTASTIC..!!

Yale has the reputation for producing idiot liberals - whooda thought they could do something useful...

[inmysights]

This stupidity reminds me of Thatcher closing birth control clinics in the UK, the premise being that 'it encourages promiscuity'.

The result? Teenage pregnancies sky rocketed.

[jitenshaman]

dam_n! its back to using plastic food bags then........

and Tesco bags to boot! Lucky it isn't the US, or Tesco would be getting hit with endless lawsuits.

[ryladie99]

....and would parents prefer STD's? (sexually transmitted diseases)

Oh, excuse me, it's always 'the other kids' who do nasty stuff, not my kids. No no. I raised them to be proper and..... oh ok, maybe I didn't discuss sexual things frankly enough. Oh well, my kids will learn how to be proper from Buddhist influences, and other upstanding influences from revered Thai institutions. I just figured revered Thai institutions would steer my sons and daughters in the right direction - so they would act properly in regard to sexual exploits.

....and then video stores popped up, and those movies with loose morals from America. Then I find my middle and daughter has a sexually transmitted yeast infection, and her elder sister is pregnant. Well, maybe the young man will do the proper thing and marry her - then get a good job with the police force and send us (his in-laws) a good amount of money every month. Oh dear, I just got a message from a neighbor. The young man denies the baby is his, and he's moving in with another woman in a another town far away. Well, we still have our younger daughters, and I'm sure they'll grow up to be proper, and would never succumb to impulsive passion or date-rape - plus condom machines are so low class looking in our neighborhood. Not only that, having condom machines will entice young people to have more illicit sex.

You make me laugh so hard and thanks for posting. People forget we all are living in the 21 TH century. Parents never know what their middle school, high school teenagers and college students are doing. Both Mom and Dad are working and these generation Y at this moment will tell the parents of what they want to hear? Remember these children will not tell all. STD and AIDS are the two dangerous things that people totally forget. Unsafe sex is the key and your post analyzed it so well...Awesome. Recently we all saw the Thai college students wear micro skirt to the campuses and I recalled not seeing many wear this type of skirts in the street of San Francisco except the college students wear mini skirts with heavy dark color tights that can not see through like Thai college students. My take and opinion.

PS...parents forget the power of internet, video, cell phone, Facebook and etc..etc....

[Frenchtouch]

dam_n! its back to using plastic food bags then........

that's exactly what i was thinking. 5555

but i think the plastic bag story was about junior high students in Issan, right?

surely students in bangkok have moved on to... i dunno.. saran wrap or something else by now?

yes, it exactly refered to Mattayom 1 students who used plastic bags. Matatyaom 1 students are 12 years old, right? Isn't it a bit early to have sex?

As for the condom machines, it's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard just after they discovered more than 1000 foetuses in a temple. Who were their 'mothers"? A great number of them were probably teenage girls!

[DoctorG]

I can only add my amazement at such a short-sighted decision.

[softgeorge]

dam_n! its back to using plastic food bags then........

and Tesco bags to boot! Lucky it isn't the US, or Tesco would be getting hit with endless lawsuits.

The problen there is that the supermarkets will be phasing them out.