Complaints Filed Against Topless Women Dancing During Songkran.

[FOODLOVER]

Thailand has an undeserved reputation in the world media for being a haven for sexual immorality.

You mean because of all the sex workers who have flourished here for centuries in Thai society?

You are right about one thing, what is immoral about consensual sexual arrangements between adults?

The USA has an international reputation for financial impropriety. The Enron scandal did more to damage the stock market there than the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre towers. And yet so many of us still to choose to invest there.

Most of us (to avoid accusations of generalisation - some of us) choose to think beyond the polemic and lustful, prurient envy of the tabloids.

I am surprised that none of the bigots on this channel have seen fit to express sympathy with the Thai people who are appalled at the prejudiced and narrow-minded viewpoint that so many foreigners have of their country, and who would seek to restore some dignity to the Kingdom. Instead, they seek to vilify and pillory Thailand and Thais based on their own stereotypes.

If we were really keen to tackle the woes of our host nation, we would seek to address its greatest social scourge - gambling. Perhaps we could seek to have the Barclays' Premier League suspended for a season?

SC

I forgot that Thailand reputation was that of financial honesty and clarity. Hmm, Enron is and will be a huge problem but lets see how many billionaire ex police prime Ministers we have. And lets not forget that we did not pack Madhoffs suitcases full of cash as was his entire families, housekeepers, gardeners, great great grand cousins and send him on his way with a fresh passport. Madhoff has lost everything and will die in jail as will his cronies. ( Where is Thaksin? Still politically active and running the "Reds"?) A great deal of Madhoffs wealth is being recovered for the victims. His wifes as well. Homes, cars, yachts, all gone. Where is Thaksins wife? I believe she was convicted and sentenced to three years in jail. She will never do a day and they have kept over 50% of their found wealth.Thats billions by the way by scamming their own citizens while in the public trust.. As for bigotry, have you ever heard how a Thai speaks about people from LAO, Cambodia? I Call BS! This is a corrupt , sex driven economy run by the Thai people. These are facts! Let a foriegner try to run one of these places. He wood be dead in a week due to the fact that the police income is based on the sex trade.

The reason you bring 9/11 into this is pretty <deleted> amazing. I don't know where to start but i think you need a few more years of proper education before i tackle your stupidity. Mass terrorism to a ponzi scheme over 20 years does not compare! Gambling its greatest social scurge, hahahahahahahahahah! I consider parents who sell their children for sex and then rationalize this by saying its good for the family. This happens daily and is a very regular accurance. By the way i came here for dentistry but was mauled by the Thai girls and was offered a girls daughter for sex. This was not me looking for but it was being pushed on by Thais! Get your head out and see the sunshine! It smells better as well, but not by much as you are still in Thailand. The land of financial clarity and a strong moral and value systems, NOT!

This country is in the toilet and until the Thai people take resposibility for their action and hold those accountable it will never change. Have some shame! Read some of the editorial in the Bankgok post written by Thais. They all say the same. Until you stop selling sex and your children their will will be pervs from all over the world for the Thai 'Specialties" you serve up. Get a grip! Amazing (0)(0)!

[96tehtarp]

Yes Yes...

But Please Please does anybody know the name of the band and the song playing in the background of the famed video?

Please tell.

Anyone?

[FOODLOVER]

Yes Yes...

But Please Please does anybody know the name of the band and the song playing in the background of the famed video?

Please tell.

Anyone?

Sorry, too many people yelling in the back ground. Holy crap! Talking about making a mountain out of a mole hill.(0)(0)

[StreetCowboy]

Thailand has an undeserved reputation in the world media for being a haven for sexual immorality.

You mean because of all the sex workers who have flourished here for centuries in Thai society?

You are right about one thing, what is immoral about consensual sexual arrangements between adults?

The USA has an international reputation for financial impropriety. The Enron scandal did more to damage the stock market there than the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre towers. And yet so many of us still to choose to invest there.

Most of us (to avoid accusations of generalisation - some of us) choose to think beyond the polemic and lustful, prurient envy of the tabloids.

I am surprised that none of the bigots on this channel have seen fit to express sympathy with the Thai people who are appalled at the prejudiced and narrow-minded viewpoint that so many foreigners have of their country, and who would seek to restore some dignity to the Kingdom. Instead, they seek to vilify and pillory Thailand and Thais based on their own stereotypes.

If we were really keen to tackle the woes of our host nation, we would seek to address its greatest social scourge - gambling. Perhaps we could seek to have the Barclays' Premier League suspended for a season?

SC

I forgot that Thailand reputation was that of financial honesty and clarity. Hmm, Enron is and will be a huge problem but lets see how many billionaire ex police prime Ministers we have. And lets not forget that we did not pack Madhoffs suitcases full of cash as was his entire families, housekeepers, gardeners, great great grand cousins and send him on his way with a fresh passport. Madhoff has lost everything and will die in jail as will his cronies. ( Where is Thaksin? Still politically active and running the "Reds"?) A great deal of Madhoffs wealth is being recovered for the victims. His wifes as well. Homes, cars, yachts, all gone. Where is Thaksins wife? I believe she was convicted and sentenced to three years in jail. She will never do a day and they have kept over 50% of their found wealth.Thats billions by the way by scamming their own citizens while in the public trust.. As for bigotry, have you ever heard how a Thai speaks about people from LAO, Cambodia? I Call BS! This is a corrupt , sex driven economy run by the Thai people. These are facts! Let a foriegner try to run one of these places. He wood be dead in a week due to the fact that the police income is based on the sex trade.

The reason you bring 9/11 into this is pretty <deleted> amazing. I don't know where to start but i think you need a few more years of proper education before i tackle your stupidity. Mass terrorism to a ponzi scheme over 20 years does not compare! Gambling its greatest social scurge, hahahahahahahahahah! I consider parents who sell their children for sex and then rationalize this by saying its good for the family. This happens daily and is a very regular accurance. By the way i came here for dentistry but was mauled by the Thai girls and was offered a girls daughter for sex. This was not me looking for but it was being pushed on by Thais! Get your head out and see the sunshine! It smells better as well, but not by much as you are still in Thailand. The land of financial clarity and a strong moral and value systems, NOT!

This country is in the toilet and until the Thai people take resposibility for their action and hold those accountable it will never change. Have some shame! Read some of the editorial in the Bankgok post written by Thais. They all say the same. Until you stop selling sex and your children their will will be pervs from all over the world for the Thai 'Specialties" you serve up. Get a grip! Amazing (0)(0)!

Feel free to rant and vent your spleen. You'll not raise any sympathy for Thaksin out of me. And yet, despite that outrageous and depraved corruption, the Football Association still toyed with the idea that he might be a fit owner of one of its member clubs.

I take it you mean "Until one...' or "until they... stop selling sex' - like you, I am just a (potential) customer of the sex trade, but I try to treat my contractors and consultants with respect, whether their employ be professional, domestic or recreational.

I feel that when measuring the impact on an economy of specific events, we can use the fluctuations of the stock market as a fair barometer to compare events which might otherwise be difficult to compare; the impact of the superbowl, terrorist outrages, natural disasters, gross frauds. I suggest that you re-read things you do not understand, rather than assuming the author was stupid... 'I don't understand that, the author must be stupid...' hmmm; were that non-sequitor one of mine, I would ascribe it to the Kilkenny.

Anyway, the BiB have prosecuted the ladies at the focus of this topic, as their way of cleaning up Thailand without strangling the goose that lays the golden eggs; can you suggest further alternatives that would be economically feasible for them? It is easy to say "Its all a corrupt bag of <deleted>"; less easy to make practical and helpful suggestions.

For my part, I would recommend getting rid of the illegal bars from the SUkhumvit sidewalks, and clearing off the prostitutes to behind velvet curtains, where they belong. I believe a lot of the public immorality on Sukhumvit Road stems back to Mr Thaksin's attempts to democratise corruption and give every constable on the street an opportunity. In my humble opinion, immorality belongs in private clubs and behind closed doors, not on the streets where the innocent, naive and unsuspecting may be exposed to it.

SC

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand has an undeserved reputation in the world media for being a haven for sexual immorality. This reputation is undeserved and untrue if you remove from the equation the foreigners who come here as sex tourists, precisely because of this reputation, to prey sexually on young Thai people. Thailand should do everything in its power to crack down on people, even its own citizens, who are guilty of public immorality like this, even on Songkran day. That is no excuse. Crack down on, arrest and deport the type of foreigners who come here to Thailand for sex, because Thai people and genuine tourists don't want them here. Thailand does not have a higher rate of prostitution than the global average if you disregard the high number of foreigners who come here specifically for sex. Hopefully we're going to see a big crackdown on this kind of activity after the new government is elected.

Not to be one to dissuade anyone from starting to contribute to TV, but this really is possibly the most naive comment I have ever read on this site.

If every Thai man who frequented a prostitute in the next month was deported from the country, we would probably end up in a country with a population of only 45mn. That said, it would at least move the sin sot concept from men to women having to pay.

[StreetCowboy]

Thailand has an undeserved reputation in the world media for being a haven for sexual immorality. This reputation is undeserved and untrue if you remove from the equation the foreigners who come here as sex tourists, precisely because of this reputation, to prey sexually on young Thai people. Thailand should do everything in its power to crack down on people, even its own citizens, who are guilty of public immorality like this, even on Songkran day. That is no excuse. Crack down on, arrest and deport the type of foreigners who come here to Thailand for sex, because Thai people and genuine tourists don't want them here. Thailand does not have a higher rate of prostitution than the global average if you disregard the high number of foreigners who come here specifically for sex. Hopefully we're going to see a big crackdown on this kind of activity after the new government is elected.

Not to be one to dissuade anyone from starting to contribute to TV, but this really is possibly the most naive comment I have ever read on this site.

If every Thai man who frequented a prostitute in the next month was deported from the country, we would probably end up in a country with a population of only 45mn. That said, it would at least move the sin sot concept from men to women having to pay.

Thailand has a reputation for sexual immorality amongst people who wish to impose their own morals on others.

Perhaps if others feel that such activities are to be discouraged, then they should prevent their whoremongers from coming to these shores.

"YOU OUTRAGE MY PREJUDICES AND BIGOTRIES. STOP IT AT ONCE!"

SC

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand has a reputation for sexual immorality amongst people who wish to impose their own morals on others.

Perhaps if others feel that such activities are to be discouraged, then they should prevent their whoremongers from coming to these shores.

"YOU OUTRAGE MY PREJUDICES AND BIGOTRIES. STOP IT AT ONCE!"

SC

Do you think if they deported every foreigner who comes for a sex holiday, this would stop prostitution in Thailand. I don't see any moral difference between catering this business to farangs or Thais. It is the height of hypocrisy to state that neon lights catering to tourists are any different than catering to the domestic market. Lest we forget of course, the vast majority of all of these establishments are owned by Thais, the profits are earned by Thais, and the vast majority of the clientel nationwide is Thai. It is entirely up to Thais whether they want to continue this business or not, and it would appear that they want to continue.

Blaming foreigners for recognizing the reality that Thailand has a massive sex business is ludicrous. It is a case of the emporer having no clothes.

If Thailand cares about its reputation, I think it would be rather simpler to close down every house of ill repute rather than try to screen out every tourist coming off an aeroplane.

Thailand can't have its cake and eat it. It can't complain about having a bad reputation, when this illegal business continues to flourish largely in the open in every city, town and village.

[metisdead]

Some posts and replies that were drifting off topic have been removed.

[StreetCowboy]

Thailand has a reputation for sexual immorality amongst people who wish to impose their own morals on others.

Perhaps if others feel that such activities are to be discouraged, then they should prevent their whoremongers from coming to these shores.

"YOU OUTRAGE MY PREJUDICES AND BIGOTRIES. STOP IT AT ONCE!"

SC

Do you think if they deported every foreigner who comes for a sex holiday, this would stop prostitution in Thailand. I don't see any moral difference between catering this business to farangs or Thais. It is the height of hypocrisy to state that neon lights catering to tourists are any different than catering to the domestic market. Lest we forget of course, the vast majority of all of these establishments are owned by Thais, the profits are earned by Thais, and the vast majority of the clientel nationwide is Thai. It is entirely up to Thais whether they want to continue this business or not, and it would appear that they want to continue.

Blaming foreigners for recognizing the reality that Thailand has a massive sex business is ludicrous. It is a case of the emporer having no clothes.

If Thailand cares about its reputation, I think it would be rather simpler to close down every house of ill repute rather than try to screen out every tourist coming off an aeroplane.

Thailand can't have its cake and eat it. It can't complain about having a bad reputation, when this illegal business continues to flourish largely in the open in every city, town and village.

If the Thais want to address the issue, that is their business. But for others to be offended, they should look first at their own part in it.

Amongst the people with whom I associate, Thailand has a very good reputation. Others may see things differently, but that is their judgement, not mine; and if there are things of which they do not approve, then my suggestion is to start at their end of the chain, rather than asking Thailand to accommodate their values.

Trying to get back on topic; are you suggesting that the ladies in question should not have been prosecuted for their public exposure?

SC

[Ricardo]

Thailand should do everything in its power to crack down on people, even its own citizens, who are guilty of public immorality like this, even on Songkran day.

Your fiancee should explain to you, Songran festival lasts a few or several days, even a couple of weeks in some provinces IME. I'm surprised you didn't notice this yourself, earlier in this month ? Top-Tip is to cling-film your mobile-phone !

And a little reading, did you know there's a whole genre of books about the Thai/farang interface (?), would help educate you about sex & Thai culture ... it's a little bit more complex than you seem to believe. All part of the colour-of-life, and attraction of living here, as you will be discovering now that (I'm assuming ?) you're living here.

[StreetCowboy]

Thailand should do everything in its power to crack down on people, even its own citizens, who are guilty of public immorality like this, even on Songkran day.

Your fiancee should explain to you, Songran festival lasts a few or several days, even a couple of weeks in some provinces IME. I'm surprised you didn't notice this yourself, earlier in this month ? Top-Tip is to cling-film your mobile-phone !

And a little reading, did you know there's a whole genre of books about the Thai/farang interface (?), would help educate you about sex & Thai culture ... it's a little bit more complex than you seem to believe. All part of the colour-of-life, and attraction of living here, as you will be discovering now that (I'm assuming ?) you're living here.

I think he wandered off from his principal point into excessive specificities; what he meant was

"Thailand should do everything in its power to crack down on people". Top jackbootery!

SC

WIth the specifics, though, I'm with Falangbaa (sheep flocking together comes to mind)

Immorality should be a strictly private affair, discretely shrouded by velvet curtains

There's no point in paying THB 135 for a bottle of beer if you can see tits in the street

[katana]

Yes Yes...

But Please Please does anybody know the name of the band and the song playing in the background of the famed video?

Please tell.

Anyone?

I was trying to find the song too. From the lyrics, all I could make out was something like: "I remember" "sitting by me" and "the sun is shining", but searching these in Google turned up nothing....

Here's a link to the audio file in .wma format if anyone else is interested in trying.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1392157/audio%20songran%20song.wma

[Chalky]

Yes Yes...

But Please Please does anybody know the name of the band and the song playing in the background of the famed video?

Please tell.

Anyone?

I was trying to find the song too. From the lyrics, all I could make out was something like: "I remember" "sitting by me" and "the sun is shining", but searching these in Google turned up nothing....

Here's a link to the audio file in .wma format if anyone else is interested in trying.

http://dl.dropbox.co...gran%20song.wma

I thinks it's either ATB, Funkstar Deluxe or JetSkky, remix of Bob Marley's "The Sun is Shing" - try searching via You Tube

:-)

[katana]

I found ATB and Funkstar Deluxe's versions of the Bob Marley classic, 'The Sun is Shining' on Youtube. While sounding similar, I don't think they are the same song as in the Songkran music. The lyrics are different too.

Thanks for trying.

[elcent]

topless follows after a reign of headless politicians ... topless is the lesser evil though ... (sarcasmus intended)

[Thai at Heart]

Thailand has a reputation for sexual immorality amongst people who wish to impose their own morals on others.

Perhaps if others feel that such activities are to be discouraged, then they should prevent their whoremongers from coming to these shores.

"YOU OUTRAGE MY PREJUDICES AND BIGOTRIES. STOP IT AT ONCE!"

SC

Do you think if they deported every foreigner who comes for a sex holiday, this would stop prostitution in Thailand. I don't see any moral difference between catering this business to farangs or Thais. It is the height of hypocrisy to state that neon lights catering to tourists are any different than catering to the domestic market. Lest we forget of course, the vast majority of all of these establishments are owned by Thais, the profits are earned by Thais, and the vast majority of the clientel nationwide is Thai. It is entirely up to Thais whether they want to continue this business or not, and it would appear that they want to continue.

Blaming foreigners for recognizing the reality that Thailand has a massive sex business is ludicrous. It is a case of the emporer having no clothes.

If Thailand cares about its reputation, I think it would be rather simpler to close down every house of ill repute rather than try to screen out every tourist coming off an aeroplane.

Thailand can't have its cake and eat it. It can't complain about having a bad reputation, when this illegal business continues to flourish largely in the open in every city, town and village.

If the Thais want to address the issue, that is their business. But for others to be offended, they should look first at their own part in it.

Amongst the people with whom I associate, Thailand has a very good reputation. Others may see things differently, but that is their judgement, not mine; and if there are things of which they do not approve, then my suggestion is to start at their end of the chain, rather than asking Thailand to accommodate their values.

Trying to get back on topic; are you suggesting that the ladies in question should not have been prosecuted for their public exposure?

SC

To answer your question, yes they should be punished, and obviously 500 baht is too little. Publicly parading them around is just as damning an indictment on Thai culture and society in my opinion.

However, IMHO, did there actions cause some enormous damage to Thai society, or the international reputation of Thailand? Not in any way shape or form. There is plenty more out there on the internet, which is far more internationally embarrassing than this.

Politics, economics, society, education, poverty, corruption, all figure far higher up the list in issues causing real damage to millions of Thais every day. Prostitution is a by product of the above. I don't think that 6 boobs on public display figure too highly, but they do provide a nice distraction for the people away from real issues.

[sarahsbloke]

Thailand has an undeserved reputation in the world media for being a haven for sexual immorality. This reputation is undeserved and untrue if you remove from the equation the foreigners who come here as sex tourists, precisely because of this reputation, to prey sexually on young Thai people. Thailand should do everything in its power to crack down on people, even its own citizens, who are guilty of public immorality like this, even on Songkran day. That is no excuse. Crack down on, arrest and deport the type of foreigners who come here to Thailand for sex, because Thai people and genuine tourists don't want them here. Thailand does not have a higher rate of prostitution than the global average if you disregard the high number of foreigners who come here specifically for sex. Hopefully we're going to see a big crackdown on this kind of activity after the new government is elected.

I think your name should be changed to FalangNgo

You seem to know nothing about Thailand and what really goes on here.

I didn't come to Thailand for sex, but I sure ended up having a lot of it anyway.

I was under the impression that in the white foreigner part of the business it was mainly Thai ladies that were preying on older white men.

I think the sex trade statistics in Thailand break down something like this

92% for Thais

6% for other Asians

2% the rest of the world