Thai PM questions if 'tourists in bikinis' safe after Koh Tao murders

[tx22cb]

When Minister of Tourism Chumphon made a remark close to "accepting a dinner is close to an invitation to rape" he didn't step down, nor did PM Yingluck (a woman herself) force him to step down. The fury against PM Prayuth now seems much more political motivated than anything else.

The Thai society can be very conservative in name bordering on hypocricy. At times TVF members are not much better

I am miffed because of loss of freedom - not because of "shirt colour".

When Yingluck was PM, we were free to pile in on her without fear. We called her an airhead, etc, and I have thrown a tennis ball through the hole (childish, yes).

With this PM, our posts get deleted if we are overly critical (e.g. a "brontosaurus").

If Yingluck or Abhisit or Banharn (anyone - even the saintly Princess Di) were to stage a coup, impose martial law, censor the media etc, I would equally try to vilify them and (with regret) tell me friends not to visit Thailand.

I do give praise when it is due, and have applauded Prayuth - e.g. beach cleanups, mafia busting, reclaiming forest land, jet-ski clampdown etc

[rubl]

When Minister of Tourism Chumphon made a remark close to "accepting a dinner is close to an invitation to rape" he didn't step down, nor did PM Yingluck (a woman herself) force him to step down. The fury against PM Prayuth now seems much more political motivated than anything else.

The Thai society can be very conservative in name bordering on hypocricy. At times TVF members are not much better

I am miffed because of loss of freedom - not because of "shirt colour".

When Yingluck was PM, we were free to pile in on her without fear. We called her an airhead, etc, and I have thrown a tennis ball through the hole (childish, yes).

With this PM, our posts get deleted if we are overly critical (e.g. a "brontosaurus").

If Yingluck or Abhisit or Banharn (anyone - even the saintly Princess Di) were to stage a coup, impose martial law, censor the media etc, I would equally try to vilify them and (with regret) tell me friends not to visit Thailand.

I do give praise when it is due, and have applauded Prayuth - e.g. beach cleanups, mafia busting, reclaiming forest land, jet-ski clampdown etc

With the previous government you might have been more free to pile it on, but did that help ?

It would seem you confuse 'freedom of expression' with a Thai society which is in need of reforms and education. Furthermore even in the 'free' West there are lots of people who would agree about the inappropriate wear of bikinies. You may complain about that, but does it help ?

BTW you more or less state you try to vilify PM Prayuth for staging a coup. That's brave, but doesn't seem to have much to do with the topic though

[rubl]

When Minister of Tourism Chumphon made a remark close to "accepting a dinner is close to an invitation to rape" he didn't step down, nor did PM Yingluck (a woman herself) force him to step down. The fury against PM Prayuth now seems much more political motivated than anything else.

The Thai society can be very conservative in name bordering on hypocricy. At times TVF members are not much better

So two wrongs make a right, then?

Did I say that? No.

[Emster23]

Blaming the victim for a bikini at the beach.... Seems a tacit admission that Thai men (that is culture he grew up in, and no doubt considers it "the norm") have no internal locus of control, or that it is so fragile that seeing a young woman (especially blond farang women) excites them to rape and murder is off the charts. Does lead me to understand why Thai women usually wear shorts and tee shirts when going into the pristine waters here of Jomtien beach. I thought it was modesty. Didn't know it was to prevent rape and murder. Learn something every day.

[Jean Pierre Jacquot]

As a matter of fact he is right. However he might as well add that Thai girls in hot pants are not safe neither especially as they are much more slender than the farang... Or maybe he wanted to say that having public sex on the beach is not safe but he is too shy to say it......5555....

However he's got a point in saying that farang visitors do hardly show any respect to local customs. I personally would be much in favour for the way Bhutan is handling tourists. Every tourtist has to have a trained and certified guide wherever they go. But Thailand has made their choice long time ago and went for the easy money. Now we have to endure it, there is no way back.

[rubl]

Maybe some of the posters here would like to move to the next topic ?

"“Twenty-eight percent of women that fought ended up consenting,” is the translation offered by multiple local observers of a now pulled Durex ad on the company’s Facebook page in Thailand earlier this week."

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/761348-durexs-sexually-inappropriate-ad-sparks-outrage-in-thailand/

[englishoak]

As a matter of fact he is right. However he might as well add that Thai girls in hot pants are not safe neither especially as they are much more slender than the farang... Or maybe he wanted to say that having public sex on the beach is not safe but he is too shy to say it......5555....

However he's got a point in saying that farang visitors do hardly show any respect to local customs. I personally would be much in favour for the way Bhutan is handling tourists. Every tourtist has to have a trained and certified guide wherever they go. But Thailand has made their choice long time ago and went for the easy money. Now we have to endure it, there is no way back.

[wilcopops]

When Minister of Tourism Chumphon made a remark close to "accepting a dinner is close to an invitation to rape" he didn't step down, nor did PM Yingluck (a woman herself) force him to step down. The fury against PM Prayuth now seems much more political motivated than anything else.

The Thai society can be very conservative in name bordering on hypocricy. At times TVF members are not much better

Previous examples don't justify or mitigate the current remarks, they only amplify them.

[kinmaew]

Thai PM needs to engage his brain before speaking.

[rubl]

When Minister of Tourism Chumphon made a remark close to "accepting a dinner is close to an invitation to rape" he didn't step down, nor did PM Yingluck (a woman herself) force him to step down. The fury against PM Prayuth now seems much more political motivated than anything else.

The Thai society can be very conservative in name bordering on hypocricy. At times TVF members are not much better

Previous examples don't justify or mitigate the current remarks, they only amplify them.

What is amplified is that Thai society is still basicly a very conservative society. The 'higher' classes somewhat hypocrite, the 'lower' classes more down to earth but not much better.

Al the political oriented remarks here just miss the mark.

[leggo]

Sounds like someone has a bad case of athletes mouth!

[waynethor]

If this man really thinks wearing clothing that exposes too much flesh or is too provocative in his opinion creates rape/murder victims who don't deserve any sympathy, and he's made it clear that he has no sympathy for the Koh Tao victims. then perhaps he should think about his own back yard. Let's start with Thai universities, where many of the female students do their best to look as sexy as possible by wearing short skirts and button-popping tight blouses. There's apparently no problem with that in his eyes, but a tourist in a bikini is just asking to be raped and murdered, so it's all the tourists fault. Or is the message that tourists, since they're not Thai, don't rank high enough on the human scale to deserve the same respect and protection of a Thai while visiting Thailand?

So here's the General's message for all potential tourists to Thailand: Please come and spend a lot of money to enjoy our overrated beaches but don't wear a bathing suit to them because many of our men and the SE Asian migrant men we bring here to do our work for us aren't equipped with enough emotional control or self control to resist the temptation of raping you, and you must understand that that's not our fault in any way. Tourists please understand that Thai men will often kill someone for something as small as singing a karaoke song before they get a chance to sing it. Please consider this tourists. Thailand is a very dangerous country where human life isn't worth much in our culture, and if you try to enjoy any nightlife or wear bathing suits to our beaches, you are being foolish and setting yourself up to be murdered, something that you have brought on yourself.

[Pii Kate]

"Can they be safe in bikinis unless they are not beautiful?" "Burkas for sale, homely women only should apply."

Once again blaming the victim for the crime. Murder is murder. It doesn't matter what they wore, how they acted or what they said. Murder is the worst crime of all. Robbing someone of life......causing enormous pain the family and loved one....

I would think that gangs on Yaba, crazed out of their minds may be at fault. Whose to say the victims were not dressed before the assault? I think the fact that the victims were alone and in an isolated spot put them at risk.

Grateful the Brit tourist and Burmese guys are not guilty and hope someone starts looking closer to home. These s**t heads will never take responsibility. I can't wait for ASEAN to come to Thailand.

[razer]

Women in bikinis are safe in Europe ... they are safe in the USA... they are safe in Australia ... they are safe in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. Could this be a condemnation of Thailand?

[Oziex1]

The general needs an official spokesman to save the nation from his off-the-cuff comments, which if continued will damage the county's reputation.

What reputation, it cannot be damaged. It's about scams, overpricing, filthy beaches, rampant corruption, dysfunction at all levels of government.

But still I remain positive for the future with the general in charge, don't know why?

[allan michaud]

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General Prayuth, there MIGHT be a time for those reflections/observations. However, now is the time for expressing regret/sympathy/horror rather than some lame, half-arsed "blame the victim" approach. Not nice.

Spot on, now is most defiantly not the time for these comments.

Having said that I traveled in India a lot during the 90's and remember signs in Bombay offering tours to see "the white whores of Goa", in reference to the bikini clad westerners. It was quite amusing (also worrying) watching Indian men strolling along beaches and staring at western girls, sometimes in suits and ties.

Having scantily clad young women running around when the local population are basically sexually repressed is a recipe for disaster. I was on a quiet beach in Kerala and remember having a go at some dumb woman who was going topless. The local community was Muslim so this was just asking for trouble, not to mention being offensive to them.

Tourists can be incredibly dumb, but shagging in a quiet corner of a beach at 4am does not warrant being brutally murdered and or raped. The general really should learn to engage his brain before opening his mouth.

What I find so worrying is how the police seem intent on finding a foreigner, when in reality this was just as likely to have been done by a group of drunken Thai's. As cover ups seem to be a national past time, I am starting have doubts they will find anyone. Thankfully DNA should ensure they can't easily stitch someone up in this case. As others have said, the DNA should at least give an indication of the person or persons ethnicity.

[Eric Loh]

Unfortunately we all have to bear with the his gaffes for much longer as no sycophants in his government will have the guts to tell him to stop behaving like a general now that he is the PM and stop his infamous off-the -cuff outburst. He just made another off-the-cuff knee jerk statement today to close violent colleges.

[farang000999]

So Western women in Thailand are raped and murdered for not being conservative enough in their attire and aciton.

And what was the cause of those students who gang raped their young classmate in a school classroom? What had she done to deserve it?

[Lupatria]

So this is Thailand's savior? A guy with morals and standards from the 1930's....

Has he even sent condolences to the families yet?

Google pics from villages and rural areas in Thailand from 1930. You may be surprised about all the bare chested women around…

After recent remarks of the dear leader, my respect for him is declining with every statement he makes. I wonder how long it takes for him to give order to strictly have Burka-Beaches in the country. I would not be surprised if he favors the idea to make DNA-tests mandatory for all farrangs when entering his peaceful paradise.

[tigermoth]

Our leader has just sank to the lowest with his remarks. ISIS is only marginally lower in its attitude.

[falangjim]

He's just angry he doesn't look good in a bikini.

[Marknreston]

First did I miss a report that they were in bikinis? Certainly the man wasn't!!!

In any case it is reprehensible for anyone to say what he said or to dismiss or excuse his remarks since he is not a "politician ". Rising to the rank of 4 star General guarantees he is very political. You don't get that high without knowing exactly what you are saying. As I drive around chiang Mai seeing numerous karaoke bars with half naked ladies parading in front I just wonder what this man is thinking. The victims were on an island with beaches. Should they have been wearing business suits? Very stupid, insensitive, ill timed and counter productive remarks. If he is capable of this kind if poor judgement, what does that say about other decisions he will be making regarding the future if Thailand

[motorsaimang]

Between being scared of magic and not wanting beautiful girls in bikinis he's not giving me the best impression.

[Hatyaier]

"Thailand is desperate to avoid further damage to the nation's lucrative tourism industry"

Says it all really.

But if you are beautiful and wear a bikini at the beach on our islands don't come. It's not safe.

[Time Traveller]

This is going to go down well with the feminists!

[joecoolfrog]

The comments are not surprising from a social conservative and they will probably play well amongst the domestic faithful. Obviously they will not sit well with many in the west , perhaps hinder tourism from that source , maybe that does not concern him greatly.

[chotthee]

What is wrong with the Farang press? All criticizing Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth for tell the truth and refuse to offer condolences to the 2 Brits. Many people die in Thailand everyday, and if the great leader need to send condolences to everyone, it is going to take too much time to do trival things. Time better spend on ruling the country, stop corruption and return happiness to Thai people.

Please take a look in the Thai press. No one criticizing Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth for tell the truth. In fact, most Thai press praise him for being straight and thanks him for reminding Thai people of Thai culture and values about not exposing Thai naked flash to the public, which can be misinterpreted as asking for sexual engagement.

BTW, Since Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth took over, all corruption stop, all gambling close down, all illegal workers returning to their counties, all lottery not over priced, all drug abuser receive medical treatment, all commercial sex halted, all taxi mafia disappears, all beaches clean up, all vice removed from the face of Thailand. ALL THAIS GETS THEIR HAPPINESS BACK.

[waynethor]

What is wrong with the Farang press? All criticizing Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth for tell the truth and refuse to offer condolences to the 2 Brits. Many people die in Thailand everyday, and if the great leader need to send condolences to everyone, it is going to take too much time to do trival things. Time better spend on ruling the country, stop corruption and return happiness to Thai people.

Please take a look in the Thai press. No one criticizing Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth for tell the truth. In fact, most Thai press praise him for being straight and thanks him for reminding Thai people of Thai culture and values about not exposing Thai naked flash to the public, which can be misinterpreted as asking for sexual engagement.

BTW, Since Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth took over, all corruption stop, all gambling close down, all illegal workers returning to their counties, all lottery not over priced, all drug abuser receive medical treatment, all commercial sex halted, all taxi mafia disappears, all beaches clean up, all vice removed from the face of Thailand. ALL THAIS GETS THEIR HAPPINESS BACK.

This IS satire, right?

Funny stuff, chotthee! I really like this part: "Please take a look in the Thai press. No one criticizing Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth for tell the truth."

Of course nobody in the press is criticizing The General. It would be the last word they ever put out to the public, and maybe their last words ever. Criticizing a self-proclaimed dictator isn't usually advisable.

Also the title you use is great. "Supreme Great Leader General Prime Minister Prayuth". Is that the same title the leader of North Korea uses to refer to himself?

[atsiii]

Well, the foreign tourists are sure to come flocking back to Thailand, now. And no need to worry about sunscreen!

[chotthee]

This is going to go down well with the feminists!

So, does he mean than many Thai uni girls in uniform as asked to be raped? Please google see Thai uni uniform.

http://www.google.com/search?q=thai+uni+uniform&espv=2&biw=986&bih=558&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&gws_rd=ssl