Thai Govt Wants Youtube Sex Spoof Removed

[crazydrummerpauly]

I must have been culturally asleep when 'Netizen' was coined - how long has that moronic neologism been doing the rounds ?

[crazydrummerpauly]

Far from wanting this particular cultural item removed or apologised for - lets have MORE Los-relevant satire please !

[Arkady]

Don't you just hate it when reality rears its ugly head from time-to-time?

BANGKOK (Reuters, AP) - Thailand yesterday banned a dictionary published by the British company Longman after it provoked government and public protests by describing Bangkok as a city known for its prostitutes.

A police special branch officer told reporters that Longman's Dictionary of English Language and Culture was banned as its Bangkok entry eroded the good moral standards of Thais. He said copies of the dictionary would be removed from bookstores.

It described Bangkok as a city known for its Buddhist temples and as 'a place where there are a lot of prostitutes'.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has demanded that Longman delete the offending reference, and said yesterday the company had apologised for offending the country and its people.

Della Summers from Longman said that her company 'understands the concern expressed by the Thai government in connection with the (Bangkok) entry'. She said the edition aimed 'to set words in their cultural context, and the connotations attached to the word Bangkok and commonly understood by native-speakers of English are drawn from books and magazines in our wordbank'.

Although the statement fell short of promising that Longman would delete the offending reference, it said the company would revise the dictionary at least once a year.

Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks.

'We do not deny the existence of the problem. But we do not believe it should be used as the definition of this city,' Mr Abhisit said.

But others want Thailand to attack the problem, not the dictionary. 'The government should take action instead of just being ashamed of the international image of the country,' said Chantawipa Apisuk, head of a prostitutes' rights group.

Officials say there are some 80,000 prostitutes in the country, but unofficial counts are far higher. Twenty per cent of the prostitutes are thought to be under 18.

Ms Chantawipa said some unemployed young women are lured from villages with offers of secretarial jobs in Bangkok. Others are sold to brothels by impoverished parents. Many end up in bars, entertaining the tens of thousands of foreign tourists who visit every year.

Source: http://www.independe...ur-1483226.html

Interesting parallel but Longman decided to comply with the Thai government request because it wanted to continue selling its textbooks in Thailand, even if they were the special cheapo editions for SE Asia. YouTube has endured blocks in Thailand before and is unlikely to care much about this. If posts don't violate their rules, they want take them down and it's unlikely that this one does.

[shaurene]

Firstly I've watched it and found it very funny. I've never had any contact with sex workers so I have no experience of it. It seems to also poke fun at foreigners (Americans in this case but it applies to all) who have such shallow views and have to pay for sex so maybe they should complain as well.

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so the only reason there is anything to make fun of is because Thai authorities fail to enforce their own laws. Why don't they enforce the law? Well I can only guess based on what I've heard as I'm not close enough to know but maybe someone else can correct me if I'm wrong. There are influential people who make money out of the sex workers. That might be the police, politicians and others of high standing. Thailand seems to have this reputation as an easy place to buy sex which presumably is why some come here. If that number is substantial then the lack of enforcement helps bring in those tourists which the kingdom would lose and have to replace. Does Thailand want and can it afford to lose them or not?

Making a fuss about this isn't going to help when Thailand is so hypocritical as it seems to be about many things. This isn't about Thai culture as this was done in the USA. Thais can complain if they wish as that's the idea behind free speech but they can't force their views on people in other countries. Remember I only found out about this because Thai officials decided to complain. If you can't stop it just let it go and don't worry about it. I think that's some sort of Buddhist teaching isn't it? Odd that Thais are Buddhist but forget this when it suits them, as is often the case from what I've seen.

Well, well, well I finally found someone else living in thailand other than me that has never had contact with a sex worker . We are few and far between my friend.

Hi You 2 guys you sure you do not have alzymers.

[ShinMusashi44]

The video seemed to make more fun of Westerns than Thailand itself. Thailand needs to lighten up.

[Pimay1]

Firstly I've watched it and found it very funny. I've never had any contact with sex workers so I have no experience of it. It seems to also poke fun at foreigners (Americans in this case but it applies to all) who have such shallow views and have to pay for sex so maybe they should complain as well.

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand so the only reason there is anything to make fun of is because Thai authorities fail to enforce their own laws. Why don't they enforce the law? Well I can only guess based on what I've heard as I'm not close enough to know but maybe someone else can correct me if I'm wrong. There are influential people who make money out of the sex workers. That might be the police, politicians and others of high standing. Thailand seems to have this reputation as an easy place to buy sex which presumably is why some come here. If that number is substantial then the lack of enforcement helps bring in those tourists which the kingdom would lose and have to replace. Does Thailand want and can it afford to lose them or not?

Making a fuss about this isn't going to help when Thailand is so hypocritical as it seems to be about many things. This isn't about Thai culture as this was done in the USA. Thais can complain if they wish as that's the idea behind free speech but they can't force their views on people in other countries. Remember I only found out about this because Thai officials decided to complain. If you can't stop it just let it go and don't worry about it. I think that's some sort of Buddhist teaching isn't it? Odd that Thais are Buddhist but forget this when it suits them, as is often the case from what I've seen.

Well, well, well I finally found someone else living in thailand other than me that has never had contact with a sex worker . We are few and far between my friend.

Hi You 2 guys you sure you do not have alzymers.

I think I may have had at one time but I forgot.

[happysanook]

Don't you just hate it when reality rears its ugly head from time-to-time?

BANGKOK (Reuters, AP) - Thailand yesterday banned a dictionary published by the British company Longman after it provoked government and public protests by describing Bangkok as a city known for its prostitutes.

A police special branch officer told reporters that Longman's Dictionary of English Language and Culture was banned as its Bangkok entry eroded the good moral standards of Thais. He said copies of the dictionary would be removed from bookstores.

It described Bangkok as a city known for its Buddhist temples and as 'a place where there are a lot of prostitutes'.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has demanded that Longman delete the offending reference, and said yesterday the company had apologised for offending the country and its people.

Della Summers from Longman said that her company 'understands the concern expressed by the Thai government in connection with the (Bangkok) entry'. She said the edition aimed 'to set words in their cultural context, and the connotations attached to the word Bangkok and commonly understood by native-speakers of English are drawn from books and magazines in our wordbank'.

Although the statement fell short of promising that Longman would delete the offending reference, it said the company would revise the dictionary at least once a year.

Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks.

'We do not deny the existence of the problem. But we do not believe it should be used as the definition of this city,' Mr Abhisit said.

But others want Thailand to attack the problem, not the dictionary. 'The government should take action instead of just being ashamed of the international image of the country,' said Chantawipa Apisuk, head of a prostitutes' rights group.

Officials say there are some 80,000 prostitutes in the country, but unofficial counts are far higher. Twenty per cent of the prostitutes are thought to be under 18.

Ms Chantawipa said some unemployed young women are lured from villages with offers of secretarial jobs in Bangkok. Others are sold to brothels by impoverished parents. Many end up in bars, entertaining the tens of thousands of foreign tourists who visit every year.

Source: http://www.independe...ur-1483226.html

"Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks."

What a moron. Is he on something or just plain ignorant ? So the scale of prostitution in BKK - which was very large even before the Second World War and very little to do with foreigners then - is mirrored by the scale of soccer hooliganism and/or IRA attacks in London ? Words fail me - absolutely unadulterated, weak-brained crap. What a tit.

The best part is how they aim the problem at foreign clientele, when the reality is that 99% of the prostitution market is funded by Thai males.

[PoodMaiDai]

Create and allow the largest brothel IN THE WORLD to exist within your borders and get upset when it is ridiculed outside your country. Yea, makes sense.

[frankold]

Don't you just hate it when reality rears its ugly head from time-to-time?

BANGKOK (Reuters, AP) - Thailand yesterday banned a dictionary published by the British company Longman after it provoked government and public protests by describing Bangkok as a city known for its prostitutes.

A police special branch officer told reporters that Longman's Dictionary of English Language and Culture was banned as its Bangkok entry eroded the good moral standards of Thais. He said copies of the dictionary would be removed from bookstores.

It described Bangkok as a city known for its Buddhist temples and as 'a place where there are a lot of prostitutes'.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has demanded that Longman delete the offending reference, and said yesterday the company had apologised for offending the country and its people.

Della Summers from Longman said that her company 'understands the concern expressed by the Thai government in connection with the (Bangkok) entry'. She said the edition aimed 'to set words in their cultural context, and the connotations attached to the word Bangkok and commonly understood by native-speakers of English are drawn from books and magazines in our wordbank'.

Although the statement fell short of promising that Longman would delete the offending reference, it said the company would revise the dictionary at least once a year.

Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks.

'We do not deny the existence of the problem. But we do not believe it should be used as the definition of this city,' Mr Abhisit said.

But others want Thailand to attack the problem, not the dictionary. 'The government should take action instead of just being ashamed of the international image of the country,' said Chantawipa Apisuk, head of a prostitutes' rights group.

Officials say there are some 80,000 prostitutes in the country, but unofficial counts are far higher. Twenty per cent of the prostitutes are thought to be under 18.

Ms Chantawipa said some unemployed young women are lured from villages with offers of secretarial jobs in Bangkok. Others are sold to brothels by impoverished parents. Many end up in bars, entertaining the tens of thousands of foreign tourists who visit every year.

Source: http://www.independe...ur-1483226.html

"Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks."

What a moron. Is he on something or just plain ignorant ? So the scale of prostitution in BKK - which was very large even before the Second World War and very little to do with foreigners then - is mirrored by the scale of soccer hooliganism and/or IRA attacks in London ? Words fail me - absolutely unadulterated, weak-brained crap. What a tit.

Very large? How much of bangkok have you actually seen? There is not too much more than dozens of cities around the world. The difference is here its dressed up and sold to westerners very publicly.

[brewsterbudgen]

how come nobody addresses the real problem ? either locals or farangs/expats... if thais are so sensitive and touchy about their country being portrayed as a sex tourism destination, why do they turn a blind eye to the fact that prostitution is rampant all over this country despite being illegal and prohibited by law. And who are the law enforcers ? Why are they not doing their jobs ? Why are bars that peddle sex are allowed to operate openly ? walk down the main stretch of sukhumvit between sois 3 and 23 in the evenings and see if it's possible to avoid seeing it. Freelancers populate that stretch every evening, and bars in soi nana, cowboy or patpong operate openly. Why is this allowed if prostitution is illegal ? The answer might be the corrupt police force who pocket monthly payments to allow these establishments to ply their trade. is that the fault of the americans or the foreigners or SNL ? Innocent thais who are brainwashed into believing that polluted and dirty foreigners come here to destroy their culture or disrespect it need to realize it's their own guardians of law that are the real culprits who have no shame in selling their country's 'good name' or respect by being greedy, selfish, corrupt and a lot more.... terribly sad indeed, but sadder to see the government trying to take an official line internationally pretty much admitting and making a mockery of their own failure....

It's far too simplistic to say that prostitution is illegal in Thailand.

http://www.sexwork.com/Thailand/legal.html

[tropo]

The target audience of SNL is AMERICANS. So clips end up on youtube. Big deal. SNL is a commercial enterprise and the hurt feelings of some thin skinned Thai people is none of their business.

If they hadn't complained so loudly few people would have even seen the video.

[IAMSOBAD]

I heard Thaksin is hosting SNL next week...Live from....30,000 feet above New York...its SNL.

With musical farts by Jatuporn!

Comedy performance by the Red Shirt Players!

Get a grip Thai people...you make us laugh.

[PoodMaiDai]

Don't you just hate it when reality rears its ugly head from time-to-time?

BANGKOK (Reuters, AP) - Thailand yesterday banned a dictionary published by the British company Longman after it provoked government and public protests by describing Bangkok as a city known for its prostitutes.

A police special branch officer told reporters that Longman's Dictionary of English Language and Culture was banned as its Bangkok entry eroded the good moral standards of Thais. He said copies of the dictionary would be removed from bookstores.

It described Bangkok as a city known for its Buddhist temples and as 'a place where there are a lot of prostitutes'.

The Thai Foreign Ministry has demanded that Longman delete the offending reference, and said yesterday the company had apologised for offending the country and its people.

Della Summers from Longman said that her company 'understands the concern expressed by the Thai government in connection with the (Bangkok) entry'. She said the edition aimed 'to set words in their cultural context, and the connotations attached to the word Bangkok and commonly understood by native-speakers of English are drawn from books and magazines in our wordbank'.

Although the statement fell short of promising that Longman would delete the offending reference, it said the company would revise the dictionary at least once a year.

Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks.

'We do not deny the existence of the problem. But we do not believe it should be used as the definition of this city,' Mr Abhisit said.

But others want Thailand to attack the problem, not the dictionary. 'The government should take action instead of just being ashamed of the international image of the country,' said Chantawipa Apisuk, head of a prostitutes' rights group.

Officials say there are some 80,000 prostitutes in the country, but unofficial counts are far higher. Twenty per cent of the prostitutes are thought to be under 18.

Ms Chantawipa said some unemployed young women are lured from villages with offers of secretarial jobs in Bangkok. Others are sold to brothels by impoverished parents. Many end up in bars, entertaining the tens of thousands of foreign tourists who visit every year.

Source: http://www.independe...ur-1483226.html

"Abhisit Vejajjiva, a government spokesman, said defining Bangkok by its prostitution problem was like defining London by soccer hooliganism and Irish Republican Army attacks."

What a moron. Is he on something or just plain ignorant ? So the scale of prostitution in BKK - which was very large even before the Second World War and very little to do with foreigners then - is mirrored by the scale of soccer hooliganism and/or IRA attacks in London ? Words fail me - absolutely unadulterated, weak-brained crap. What a tit.

...when the reality is that 99% of the prostitution market is funded by Thai males.

And many of those prostitutes are under the age of 18. A decent amount of them working to pay off their parent's debts and are owned by pimps and traffickers. The reports are all out there, none of this is news to anyone but Thai officials apparently.

[seligne]

I am American. I have had lots of contact with sex workers in Thailand. I see nothing wrong with it. Frankly, I think there may be something amiss with any resident of Thailand who has not had an experience with a Thai "sex worker". Some of the finest people I know are bar girls.

Someone here said that prostitution is illegal in Thailand. I do not believe that to be correct. I think that pornography is illegal (however that is defined) but not prostitution between two consenting adults.

Can you correct me if I am wrong (on the legal points, not on my moral failings.)

[brewsterbudgen]

I am American. I have had lots of contact with sex workers in Thailand. I see nothing wrong with it. Frankly, I think there may be something amiss with any resident of Thailand who has not had an experience with a Thai "sex worker". Some of the finest people I know are bar girls.

Someone here said that prostitution is illegal in Thailand. I do not believe that to be correct. I think that pornography is illegal (however that is defined) but not prostitution between two consenting adults.

Can you correct me if I am wrong (on the legal points, not on my moral failings.)

http://www.sexwork.c...land/legal.html

[khunken]

The Culture Ministry in Thailand is where politicians that are not particularly well liked by the ruling party are sent. What irony that the current one is a member of the Chonburi mafia. This of course includes Pattaya where one previous example actually said she couldn't find any prostitution there.

I think that humour-removing operations are a prerequisite.

[Tatsujin]

I had just watched this before seeing this thread. I thought it was hilarious

[crazydrummerpauly]

I am American. I have had lots of contact with sex workers in Thailand. I see nothing wrong with it. Frankly, I think there may be something amiss with any resident of Thailand who has not had an experience with a Thai "sex worker". Some of the finest people I know are bar girls.

Someone here said that prostitution is illegal in Thailand. I do not believe that to be correct. I think that pornography is illegal (however that is defined) but not prostitution between two consenting adults.

Can you correct me if I am wrong (on the legal points, not on my moral failings.)

Yep, you are wrong, legally. Prostitution had been illegal in LOS since 1960...but nobody gives a toss. (pun intended).

Edited February 4, 2013 by crazydrummerpauly

[brewsterbudgen]

I am American. I have had lots of contact with sex workers in Thailand. I see nothing wrong with it. Frankly, I think there may be something amiss with any resident of Thailand who has not had an experience with a Thai "sex worker". Some of the finest people I know are bar girls.

Someone here said that prostitution is illegal in Thailand. I do not believe that to be correct. I think that pornography is illegal (however that is defined) but not prostitution between two consenting adults.

Can you correct me if I am wrong (on the legal points, not on my moral failings.)

Yep, you are wrong, legally. Prosititution had been illegal in LOS since 1960...but nobody gives a toss. (pun intended).

As previously stated, it's not that simple.

http://www.sexwork.c...land/legal.html

[kimamey]

how come nobody addresses the real problem ? either locals or farangs/expats... if thais are so sensitive and touchy about their country being portrayed as a sex tourism destination, why do they turn a blind eye to the fact that prostitution is rampant all over this country despite being illegal and prohibited by law. And who are the law enforcers ? Why are they not doing their jobs ? Why are bars that peddle sex are allowed to operate openly ? walk down the main stretch of sukhumvit between sois 3 and 23 in the evenings and see if it's possible to avoid seeing it. Freelancers populate that stretch every evening, and bars in soi nana, cowboy or patpong operate openly. Why is this allowed if prostitution is illegal ? The answer might be the corrupt police force who pocket monthly payments to allow these establishments to ply their trade. is that the fault of the americans or the foreigners or SNL ? Innocent thais who are brainwashed into believing that polluted and dirty foreigners come here to destroy their culture or disrespect it need to realize it's their own guardians of law that are the real culprits who have no shame in selling their country's 'good name' or respect by being greedy, selfish, corrupt and a lot more.... terribly sad indeed, but sadder to see the government trying to take an official line internationally pretty much admitting and making a mockery of their own failure....

I think you'll find that I and several others have mentioned this.

[spidermike007]

Let us brush under the rug, that which we all know to be the truth. Of course there is a lot more to Thailand than just the sex industry. But, there are very few people that do not mention the Sex industry, then the word Thailand comes up. Just another case of super freak wanna be puritans attempting to white wash reality. How many people make fortunes off the industry in Thailand? Des the government have an issue with this? Of course not. So, why the false purity? Nobody buys this purity nonsense for anything other than what it really is. Nonsense. Hogwash. BS. A smokescreen. And besides, why such thin skin? This video is very funny. Can't the thai people laugh at themselves, and what they have created?

[Arkady]

They expect the US Embassy to do something about it? They're probably laughing their <deleted> off also. There are so many much worse videos on YouTube regarding the night life. Are they going after all of them too?

I think that this is simply that the truth hurts. These cultural idiots really do have their heads in the sand.

The US government was unable to get YouTube to take down the video about the Prophet that caused riots around the world, including one that was used as cover to murder the US ambassador to Libya. What makes them think they could do anything about this, or would, even if they could.

[Chua]

Saturday Night Live is not broadcast outside of the USA and even the video clips on their website are blocked from viewing in other countries. It was not intended for Thai people; it's a joke for Americans (and a very mild one at that -- note: it does not mention sex, prostitution, or girls at all -- the lines of Thai "How much" and "Is that for the whole night?" could apply to a renting a room or a motorbike... so only people who understand the reality of Thailand assume a sexual connotation).

NBC also owns the copyright for their content and they have the right to demand (if they wish) that YouTube removes any clips containing such material. I'm sure NBC would be happy to have their copyrighted material taken down from YouTube -- all Thailand needs to do is contact NBC, and they will take care of it.

However, taking down a YouTube video will do nothing to change the world's perception of Thailand, which comes from the first hand experience of millions of tourists who visit the country every year. If Thailand wants to change the perception, the only way is to change the reality on the ground and in the tens of thousands of bars and night clubs across the country... which aside from being highly unlikely, would also of course would be devastating to the economy, not to mention the millions of girls and their families who are supported by income earned from foreigners. If one talks to these girls, most all will tell you they are in this line of work willingly and are happy to have a chance to make so much money, as are their families, most of whom know exactly what their daughters are up to, and are quite pleased that they're earning more than a college graduate.

[upena]

Why haven't the banned the YouTube videos on Ting Tong Macadangdang?

[Morakot]

Source: http://www.independe...ur-1483226.html

there is more than that on Sukhumvit alone... ( allegedly )

That article is from 1993.

Your historical perspective is appreciated.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Morakot

[whybother]

Maybe the Thais can come up with a "Rosetta Stone video" with Thais learning English so they can find farang husbands ... finishing off the video with a katoey!

[Arkady]

I can understand why some might not like this. There are many things that people don't like on comedy shows but this is quite trivial and making a fuss just draws attention to it.

Perhaps that's the intention. Making a fuss about something non existent helps the culture minister distract attention from the more pressing allegations of aiding and abetting his criminal father avoid justice. That makes the incident an excellent illustration of Thai moral and cultural values. If you have money and influence, you can get away with murder. If you are a foreigner, you should keep your opinions to yourself, or you're not prepared to promote our warped view of ourselves.

[laobali]

Is that for the whole night?, this could be quite Innocent question, remember many Thai hotels charge by the hour.

Of course, totally innocent. And just why do they charge by the hour?

I think "BANG KOK" as a capital name doesn't help the country's image much, either.

[davidrkw]

Everyone knows this is just stupid American humour. It damages peoples perceptions of the US not Thailand.

[sirchai]

"Most Thai internet users were not impressed with the video, saying the joke is too harsh and not at all funny."

i almost pissed my pants when I've heard the "Ping Pong Ball part.--