Wai, A Stamp And A Condom

[george]

Wai, a stamp and a condom

BANGKOK: Visitors to Thailand will receive free condoms from immigration officials if Bangkok Senator Meechai Viravaidya has his say on how the country play its role as host of the World Aids Conference in July.

"We will seek cooperation from the Immigration Police Bureau and see if this is possible [during the conference period]," said Meechai, who is a member of the conference organising committee.

The conference is scheduled to be held at the Impact Arena at Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi from July 11 to 16.

Meechai said he would also ask taxi operators to ensure that condoms and audio-cassette tapes on HIV/Aids prevention were available in their cars. The cassettes will be in six languages, he said.

"The cassettes will educate passengers about Aids while the conference is on," he said, adding that he would select only hotels with condoms in the guestrooms and staff knowledgeable about HIV/Aids prevention as accommodation for participants at the conference.

"The hotel staff should also be able to pass on knowledge [about HIV/Aids prevention]," he said.

The conference will bring together leading world figures in the fight against HIV/Aids for discussions on how to effectively stem the epidemic. High-profile participants will include David Beckham, Tiger Woods and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Cabinet members from Asia-Pacific countries.

"About 20,000 people will attend this international meeting," said Disease Control Department director-general Dr Charal Trinvuthiphong.

It has been estimated that there are about 40 million people living with HIV/Aids in the world. Of them, more than five million die of Aids every year. Africa is the most-severely-hit continent.

In Thailand, the number of people infected by HIV is estimated at more than one million. Of them, more than 400,000 have already died. The Public Health Ministry believes there are 50,000 new infections every year.

--The Nation 2004-01-15

[bartender100]

Full respect to Meechai Viravaidya,but I get the impression,they are starting to lose it around here.

Close the bars early,but give everybody plenty of condoms, Hmmm

[Moving]

Have to have something to do after the bars close...makes sense to me

[Moving]

First a comment, if the 'free condoms' and 'taxi driver tapes' are no more that a marketing ploy for the conference than I say shame on them.

I know that the issue of HIV is/has impacted on some of the forum members so I would expect some sage input and advice. I am always cautious of statistics and polls but I would like to know what the deltas are between the rates of heterosexual, homosexual, and IV drug transmitted HIV in Thailand???

[castelleone]

Well, to see how Kofi Annan, Tiger Woods, David Beckham and other celebrities (maybe even Bishop Tutu?) are given a coloured condom upon arrival, together with a wai from a nice Thai lady? I think this idea is embarrassing and I can already imagine the understanding smile of Kofi. He has gone through other unpleasant procedures.

Also a great idea, to train the hotel staff about AIDS in order to pass the knowledge on to the attendants of the conference....

But I would not mind to be the manufacturer of that tape to be given to all of the taxi drivers. Good money to be made by someone again, I think. The drivers will love to listen to the tape in seven languages during the conference.

Quo vadis land of smile?

[Phil Conners]

Condoms huh, how quaint and utterly eightees.

Mr. Annan has surely been trough worse than this, I'm sure getting a condom won't bring him out of phase.

[Thaiquila]

Inquiring minds want to know, what extras ELITE CARD holders will get with the condom? Surely they can't be treated the same as every other arriving peasant.

Hint: its mai sanuk using a condom alone.

I don't see the problem with handing out condoms anytime, anyplace; why restrict it only to the conference time?

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

This man is a worthy fellow - but he has based his entire career on this topic - with all its semi-serious-semi-titillating juxtaposition.

He should change the record if he is serious about his message - to find a new angle. This specific gimmick was effective- once.

[NedKelly]

Meechai is doing what he does best. Creating publicity. His idea to select only those hotels that have condoms in the rooms and staff that are HIV aware, is a great idea if it works. Education of workers is a great way to help prevent the spread of HIV. One of the challenges of management/leadership is to ensure that your employees get that edication. Everyone is responsible, not just Meechai.

[pal78]

In Thailand, the number of people infected by HIV is estimated at more than one million. Of them, more than 400,000 have already died.

So doesn't that mean that there are in fact about 600,000 people infected at the moment? Or do dead people remain infected?

[Guest IT Manager]

Current figures are that Northern Thailand has around 800,000 infections. Dead people become statistics. Live people are a challenge.

For my chosen country, I am very ashamed. Thailand sold itself to the world, as its' bedroom. As the powers try to change, they still sell their less educated children into the business, and the more educated ones clamor to join of their own volition.

Thailand is a developing country. Unfortunately with the current government running about wringing its communal hands and saying "vile and disgusting, dreadful foreigners", its' police and politicians run the whore houses, or at a minimum profit from them, the change is "backwards". The main users of most whorehouses appear to be either the police or the politicians, with a few farang dragged in kicking and screaming to gt their rocks off. Of course I am not talking about Nana or Patpong, but rather about the Thailand that begins outside of Bangkok.

One day, I hope anyway, Thailand will wake up and realise that is possible to screw yourself and get a reputation for doing so. The hard part is changing the leopards' spots.

Sell yourself once as the worlds' bedroom, it takes forever to change the sheets.

[Dove]

So does the Thai goverment support or condemn the sex industry.?They should get the message right.

How would condoms prevent the spread of AIDS between drug addicts, thecn't put a condom over a needle before they inject themselves?

What next, would they start distributing condoms with slogan "Vote for love ... party and make love not war" at the next elections? Wouldn't it be nice because it would be well rememebred by all every night for the party who knows what the F_ _ _ they are doing.

[Martin]

‘######’ says “Sell yourself once as the world’s bedroom, it takes forever to change to change the sheets.” True, and very well put.

But does that first word truly apply to Thailand? Did Thailand sell itself? Or was it pressured, or some corrupt leaders bribed in some way, to become the GI R&R whorehouse?---and then all flowed from there.

I ask because I don’t know; but I have a sneaking feeling that we ought to take a look again at what went on in the times of the Indo-China war. It just might be that, once more, history has been written by the victors, the victims blamed for their own misfortune, the sinned-against maligned as sinners.

If my sneaking feeling is wrong, somebody please tell me.

But if my sneaking feeling is right, then let’s start putting the record straight, as a little ‘thank you’ to our adopted country.

[megashox]

But does that first word truly apply to Thailand? Did Thailand sell itself? Or was it pressured, or some corrupt leaders bribed in some way, to become the GI R&R whorehouse?---and then all flowed from there.

It's the age old question - Which force created the market? The "demand side or the "supply" side. Remember, it takes two to tango!

In the case of Thailand the "supply" was just as much created by the lure for "lying on the back" and making substantial money, instead of a working under the sun in the rice fields for peanuts.

[Martin]

To Megashox: I could buy your argument if it had all been done under "free market conditions". But it wasn't. The GIs were in Saigon, or up-country Thailand. For the ones from Saigon, there would have had to be flights laid on by the American Government and visas granted by the Thai Government. No way would, for instance, the Australian Government have said " OK, come one, come all". So who said it for Thailand, and was it said voluntarily, or under pressure?. Also who said the GIs from up-country could come to Bangkok?. Military personnel can only go where their own command allows, and where the host-country allows.

I have always thought that the first duty of a government was to protect its citizens from harm by invaders of any description. And that its second duty was to promote the interests of its citizens. Any western government would surely get howls of protest from its citizenry if it proposed to let its young women be tempted into 'lying on their backs' for 'big money' from large numbers of foreign soldiers. Certainly the American military command and the British government behaved very differently in 1942-1945 when large numbers of GIs were in Britain.

So, I am still hoping that someone can, and will, tell us what decisions were taken about GI R&R in Thailand. And the background to that decision taking.