Hundreds of westerners living on the streets of Thailand

[george]

HANGOVER FROM HELL
Hundreds of Westerners Living on the Streets of Thailand

Left penniless by Thai girlfriends, or wrestling with drinking or

substance abuse problems, many have nowhere else to go

BANGKOK: -- A Thai charity has revealed that a growing number of Westerners — around 200 at present — are sleeping rough on the streets of the Southeast Asian nation, in areas from Chiang Mai to Phuket, many doing so as a result of alcoholism, drug use or having spent all their money on local women.

“We are starting to see more and more homeless foreigners, many of whom have separated from their Thai wives and now have no money,” said Natee Saravari, secretary-general of the Issarachon Foundation. “They walk or sit in shopping malls during the daytime and scavenge through garbage for food at night.”

The disclosure has to be put in the context of homelessness in Thailand in general. An estimated 30,000 homeless Thai nationals share the same streets, as well as an indeterminate number of Lao, Burmese and Cambodians. However, the conspicuousness of homeless Westerners — an extraordinary sight to Thais who generally presume that Western residents are relatively affluent — makes them an eye-catching subject for local media.

One man who is unsurprised by these developments is Paul Garrigan. The 44-year-old Irishman spent five years “drinking himself to death” in Thailand before quitting in 2006 and has since written a book about his experiences. “Some people come to Thailand and they already have a drink or drug problem but they have it under control in their own country,” he tells TIME, “but then the restrictions have gone and that addiction can blossom.”

In addition, romantic complications, typically with “bar girls,” can prove wretchedly pivotal. On Aug. 25, the Bangkok Post published an interview with a 61-year-old American living on the streets of Pattaya, a seaside town with an infamous sex industry just south of Bangkok. Originally from North Carolina, Sylvester fell for a local bar girl in 2009 and spent all his savings buying a car and a truck in her name. Two years later, she left him penniless. “On the beach, I have friends who are homeless Thais,” he said. “We share food, cigarettes and some alcoholic drinks.”

A wealth of books has been written about the folly of tangling with bar girls but pitiful stories abound. “It’s the inability of the foreign guy to separate the truth from what they are being told,” says Rhys Bonney, a legal advisor based in the northern city of Chiang Mai, who is currently dealing with several clients in a similar situation to Sylvester.

Foreigners seeking a little companionship become easy prey, Bonney says. Unfamiliar with Thai bureaucracy, they get pressured into buying cars in their girlfriend’s name. “The reality is that there’s no difficulty to do it in their own [name],” he explains. Next they buy a house in her name with the proviso that they will share everything equally, but no legal documents are signed to that effect. “And when they’ve paid the money the girlfriend can just kick them out,” Bonney adds.

Once that happens, the absence of any social safety net means escaping the streets can be very problematic. “If I was homeless in Thailand, I would probably still be on the streets,” adds Garrigan.

Some help is available, however. The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok “is definitely one of the busier posts out there” says spokesman Walter Braunohler, who, while unable to provide precise figures, tells TIME repatriation requests from destitute Americans is “more than a trickle.” Sending somebody home costs around $2,000, the majority spent on airfare but also on temporary lodging, meals, medical treatment and immigration fines. Friends and family back home are sounded out for a loan, but should none be forthcoming the government will stump up the cost to be repaid upon return. Other embassies work on a similar basis.

Ultimately though, while the sight of homeless Westerners is saddening, it must be remembered that far greater ills exist on Thailand’s mean streets. Alezandra Russell runs the charity Urban Light, which helps young male sex workers in Northern Thailand, many of them illegal immigrants fleeing Burma’s bloody civil conflicts.

“You will not find in any report the teen boy who sleeps in the flower market and is approached by a pimp every night,” she says, “or the boy who works in the red light district from a hill-tribe village and speaks only his native language.”

One person living without a home is a travesty, but at least Westerners in Thailand can be counted. For many of Thailand’s most vulnerable, says Russell, “There are no numbers.”


-- 2013-09-14

Source: TIME

[theblether]

Far too many of them wouldn't listen, they just wouldn't listen. Even in that article it says there are plenty of stories to warn them of the dangers,

We even had guys on TV boasting last week that were ready to make the same mistakes, even on here, they won't listen.

You can't stop a fool being a fool.

They wouldn't listen. Up to them.

[jbrain]

Friends and family back home are sounded out for a loan, but should none be forthcoming the government will stump up the cost to be repaid upon return. Other embassies work on a similar basis.

That policy must have been introduced overnight.

You learn something new every day, isn't it ?

Edited September 13, 2013 by jbrain

[ggold]

Far too many of them wouldn't listen, they just wouldn't listen. Even in that article it says there are plenty of stories to warn them of the dangers,

We even had guys on TV boasting last week that were ready to make the same mistakes, even on here, they won't listen.

You can't stop a fool being a fool.

They wouldn't listen. Up to them.

The problem is that with some of a certain age, they seem to find a second youth when hooking up with young ladies! and the problem with that is you just can't tell them. Just like kids they think they know it all. They say they won't fall into the same traps", only to fall into the same trap.

[jbrain]

Reading " Money number one " should be made mandatory before you can purchase a ticket to Thailand.

[NeverSure]

Every farang arriving in Thailand for the first time should be locked in a rubber room and forced to read the Marriage and Divorce section on this forum for 24 hours straight.

Oh well, if some guy is determined to drink and/or drug himself to rags or to death with some bar girl no one can stop him. Even if he's completely sober but chooses to throw it away on some cute thing half his age no one can stop him.

Life has choices.

[Soutpeel]

Reading " Money number one " should be made mandatory before you can purchase a ticket to Thailand.

Further mandatory reading should be

" your not really a Hansoom man"

"Pattaya bar girls for dummy's"

" Don't invest more than your prepared to walk away from"

[edwardandtubs]

Is that guy who sat outside the skytrain station soliciting for donations for his ticket home some years ago still there? He seemed to be making a tidy sum.

[MB1]

Reading " Money number one " should be made mandatory before you can purchase a ticket to Thailand.

Add to that "A Fool In Paradise" And "A Fools Diary"

Quite amusing books, even if not taken literally the books can give a newcomer a good insight to what can and often does happen to some..

Edited September 13, 2013 by MB1

[Soutpeel]

Every farang arriving in Thailand for the first time should be locked in a rubber room and forced to read the Marriage and Divorce section on this forum for 24 hours straight.

Oh well, if some guy is determined to drink and/or drug himself to rags or to death with some bar girl no one can stop him. Even if he's completely sober but chooses to throw it away on some cute thing half his age no one can stop him.

Life has choices.

Agreed but the the one thing I can never get my head round are the farangs who are not the drink and drug types, some pretty wealthy, educated etc who manage to lose their lot in Thailand, for the most part one assumes these people are not stupid and are fully aware of the reputation of Thai ladies, and even if they truly believe, she is different, they haven't had the foresight to have a plan B in case thing do go tits up......for me personally if after nearly 12 years with Mrs Soutpeel, I had the dirty done to me, I know almost exactly what she could get away with financially, based on what i have " invested" in thailand, and this is the amount i have prepared to "risk" or walk away from if need be

I have further taken the liberty of keeping the bulk of my finances offshore in an account she can't get at directly, to me it's just common sense, you don't throw your lot in and hope for the best, you need to make provision for the rainy day that might happen

[lee b]

It serves them right to be honest, they were made with brains for a reason. How many times does this happen? It still does not sink into some peoples heads and they go ahead with it anyway..

[tingtong]

Every farang arriving in Thailand for the first time should be locked in a rubber room and forced to read the Marriage and Divorce section on this forum for 24 hours straight.

After you!

or, as a second thought, no thanks!

Maybe of a certain age (60+) or a certain group (western welfare lowlifes and failures)...i believe a avarage guy with a functioning brain just wouldnt fall for the things like bargirl, sin sot, etc.

Those who broke after buying a car for girlfriend, and left with nothing on their name to buy their own ticket home...well, they fall in the above mentioned groups for sure.

Everyone in a right mind the least has a failsafe, some money outside of Thailand, out of easy reach of anyone but themselves!

Those mentioned, homeless, and happy to scavage for food with other homeless, and boost to share a smoke or a drink with...they deserve what they have!!

[Soutpeel]

Every farang arriving in Thailand for the first time should be locked in a rubber room and forced to read the Marriage and Divorce section on this forum for 24 hours straight.

After you!

or, as a second thought, no thanks!

Maybe of a certain age (60+) or a certain group (western welfare lowlifes and failures)...i believe a avarage guy with a functioning brain just wouldnt fall for the things like bargirl, sin sot, etc.

Those who broke after buying a car for girlfriend, and left with nothing on their name to buy their own ticket home...well, they fall in the above mentioned groups for sure.

Everyone in a right mind the least has a failsafe, some money outside of Thailand, out of easy reach of anyone but themselves!

Those mentioned, homeless, and happy to scavage for food with other homeless, and boost to share a smoke or a drink with...they deserve what they have!!

Maybe what should happen, and I am being serious here, is if someone is coming to live long term in Thailand, they should lodge some sort of bond with the government, yes of course the specific government department may end up putting their hands in the till, but lets assume for a minute they didn't and if said farang falls on hard times at least the goverment has have access to some cash to at least buy a ticket out of dodge for these people, this is assuming of course they want to leave....idealistic I know, impractical maybe, but at least this may some ways to saving these people from themselves

[giggles]

theres so many farangs walking around with badly messed up heads over the local women that a network of shrinks is needed all over town.

so says a mate who runs a restaurant in BKK.

he gets em coming in all the time seeking solace from all their problems ...

[cpofc]

Had one lob at my front door just prior to Xmas last year. Arrived in the LOS with $AUD 5,500.00 in his pocket, and a drinking problem. (when it was 32 Baht to 1). 14 Days later he knocked on my door asking 'if I could put him up for the night'. What he really wanted was for me to take care of him for the next 2 weeks until his booked flight home. He was skint, with no money in the bank at home and no credit card and noone to call. In fact he is on Part Welfare and only Part Time Work in Aust. 3 Days he stayed here and in that time the last of his baht he spent on a large pizza and two visits to a Happy Ending Massage Parlour just down the road from me. All the time wanting me to take him to some of the local bars around here of an evening.

He was an easy mark really. In two short weeks she milked him of all his cash, then she turned off the sex and just ignored him. He still couldn't see it though, and even until the day he left my place he believed her when she said she would go to Australia in January (next month) to be with him. Fair dinkum.

I offered to lend him money to see him though, but he refused, as he knew he would have to repay that. So The next day, disregarding his reluctance to do, I instructed him get onto the internet and re-book his flight home. He did, but he wasn't happy about it.

Nope, you cannot talk any sense to them once the penis goes hard and the brain goes soft.

It is not like the old days here. It's take no prisoners now.

I guess you can put it down to the Thais addiction to Western Consumerism.

I.E. Eating up stupid, drunken farangs and sapitting them out

I don't mind helping a bloke down on his luck and doing it tough. But not this crap. I am not the Salvation Army and my house is not the Mathew Talbot of Thailand. There is no excuse for being an idiot. This subject has been well publicised, written and talked about for many years now.

[cgphuket]

Odd, I came here 4 years ago with $2500 and have never left. I have no rich family/friends, no assets back home, no investments to cash in (I lost everything to escape from my last divorce to a farang woman). However, I have never had to sleep on the street. Granted, I don't drink or do drugs (had enough in my younger days), I have never been conned or given a sob story (that I bought into)by a bar girl (but I know many bar girls). My wife I met here is NOT hi-so Chinese-Thai with a rich family and 2 MBA's. She is an Issan ex-factory worker and I am the only support for the family as she stays home and cares for our child. What did I do that kept me off the streets?

1. When I knew I was running out of money I got a job (and I wasn't picky, or arrogant, anything that pays the rent).

2. I didnt quit my job until I had a new one.

3. When my job ended unexpectedly I lived off what little I had saved, leaned back, and looked for another job,

4. I don't loan money I cannot afford to get back (and I NEVER loan to a farang anymore). Only time I was ripped off was by farangs.

5. I dont shop at Paragon or Emporium, I shop at Big C or the markets.

6. I don't spend 500 baht on a frang meal because the same amount would buy 10-15 Thai meals.

Now I don't live a rockstar lifestyle but i also dont live in misery. I am happy living within my means and have all my needs met. While I am just being honest and open, I am sure I will receive some type of critism, but my point is, most farang who bottom out here do so because of their own actions or stupidity. For ever case of asset theft or medical problems that spiraled out of control, there are 20 cases of blatent stupidity and arrogance; "Its the 3rd world, I am a European God, what could possibly go wrong???"

As it has been stated many times in this thread, most just don't listen. It is hard for me to feel sorry for them...

[harada]

Reading " Money number one " should be made mandatory before you can purchase a ticket to Thailand.

Add Thailand Fever to that .

[lemonjelly]

<“If I was homeless in Thailand, I would probably still be on the streets,” adds Garrigan.>.... I think I'll give this muddled author a miss....

[handsomeATM]

My thai girlfriend got really upset and angry

when i went to give 200bath to one of these falang made "homeless through girlfriend con".

not long after my ATM run out of cash and i was forced to leave for the homeland(cough,bullshit)!

Lets face it its the girls and no law for us falang that has many men in big trouble.

Why did she do that to him?

because she could!

She gets the falangs brain in a vice through emotional black mail!

The only people that get justice are the ones with big money ,

they strip you of the money so you have lost your right to justice.

Plus people come hear with no idear about the third world,

its something one learns along the way.

Its the falangs fault for coming to thailand and wanting something good in this life,

believing they had found the garden of eden.

[CHRISTIANa9]

Reading " Money number one " should be made mandatory before you can purchase a ticket to Thailand.

Interesting. Any idea where I can do free download

[BookMan]

Reading " Money number one " should be made mandatory before you can purchase a ticket to Thailand.

Add to that "A Fool In Paradise" And "A Fools Diary"

Quite amusing books, even if not taken literally the books can give a newcomer a good insight to what can and often does happen to some..

Stephen Leather - Private Dancer

[Notstupid30]

Well here a great plan why not give these homeless people a job teaching English in exchange of a flight home or whatever as ASEAN 2015 is just around the corner win win situation if you ask me ...

[chooka]

Far too many of them wouldn't listen, they just wouldn't listen. Even in that article it says there are plenty of stories to warn them of the dangers,

We even had guys on TV boasting last week that were ready to make the same mistakes, even on here, they won't listen.

You can't stop a fool being a fool.

They wouldn't listen. Up to them.

As they say, You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

[NongKhaiKid]

Far too many of them wouldn't listen, they just wouldn't listen. Even in that article it says there are plenty of stories to warn them of the dangers,

We even had guys on TV boasting last week that were ready to make the same mistakes, even on here, they won't listen.

You can't stop a fool being a fool.

They wouldn't listen. Up to them.

Like any normal man I am attracted to a beautiful woman but I was always taught to be cautious.

In many, many cases the old saying " no fool like an old fool " takes centre stage.

What gets me are those who have a bad trip with a Thai lady and in no time flat are hooked up with another. Starting with the first one the ladies are always " different " and that rare " one in a million ".

[smoochy]

Thinking with one's dick always leads to trouble.

[Ianatlarge]

There are a few harsh comments made here about failed farangs, and fair enough, but I will jump in and say that anyone can make a mistake, take a wrong turn, have problems in their life, and even end up living on Pattaya beach. It can happen to anyone. Life is both what we make of it, and what we have to deal with. I have met x-military, now into booze and drugs, I have met x-execs the same.

I cannot think of a solution for any of this, Thai charities and the gov should not be expected to pay for destitute foreigners. Perhaps the best is a return to the homeland, but then, sometimes there is nothing there. I have met westerners in Thailand, destitute and otherwise, who plan never to return 'home', but to simply drink themselves slowly into death. When you can, spare a kind thought for these people, and maybe even 20 baht. They are still our fellow human beings.

[jackr]

Fair dos, a lot of gloating on here. Of course, none of you make a mistake right. It ain't just bar girls that can strip you of everything, your perfect Thai-Chinese honey/police lieutenant's daughter/banking clerk girl may do the same, the system is just not set up for you not to lose and it's easy to get caught up in the furore if you don't have your head switched on. It happens, even to some of the level-headed lifers on here. While I'm shrewd enough to not get stumped, and though there clearly are dolts that come here with their brain in their todger, I won't kick these folks when down, it makes me cringe.

[MarkBiggs]

In regards to this, I truly believe that if the law's where to change allowing farangs to own property in their own name then this would solve a lot of problems and then there would be less of this.

As mentioned everyone makes mistakes at times in their lives when it comes to women, so one should only only take to Thailand and put in their Thai spouses name what they can afford to lose and have funds off shore that their Thai spouse never finds out about in case of problems.

[selftaopath]

How about the Thai government allow reciprocity in buying land? Or, Western governments disallow citizens from making purchases of land/houses etc. e.g. Thais and Thaksin types. Turn around is fair play as they say.

I mean seriously if a Westerner buys land can he take it back to his Mother country??? Restricting land purchases only keeps the rich and powerful/ rich and powerful. And it prevents a Thai land owner from possibly receiving a more substantial amount for said land - when sold.

[Notstupid30]

Thinking with one's dick always leads to trouble.

Cum again ...