A Rose By Any Other Name: A story of naive tourists, desperate parents, and negligent police

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A Rose By Any Other Name
By Khaosod English


Khaosan Road in Bangkok.

A story of naive tourists, desperate parents, and negligent police

BANGKOK — Three months ago, a squad of Thai police arrived on Khaosan Road, one of Bangkok’s most popular nightlife destinations for tourists and local revelers. The police returned to their headquarters in Northern Bangkok later that night with five children, all of them Burmese and under the age of ten. The next morning, two more children were brought in with a man who one child referred to as his “boss.”

The children had been selling roses to tourists on Khaosan Road and were suspected to be victims of human trafficking. Several months later, those seven children are now living in state shelters and the “boss,” Maung Miang U, is awaiting trial in Bangkok’s Remand Prison. Maung Miang, who is 22 and also Burmese, confessed to bringing three of the children from their home in Myanmar to sell flowers in Bangkok.

“Their father was poor and didn’t have money, so I helped,” Maung Miang told Khaosod English from inside Bangkok’s Remand Prison. “The parents willingly gave the kids to me.”

Maung Miang said he sent 1,500 baht from the children’s rose sales back to their parents in Myanmar every month. However, the children who sell roses on Khaosan Road can bring in twice that amount in a single night. Maung Miang declined to answer a question about where the rest of the money went.

Rose-selling children have become of regular feature of Bangkok’s top nightlife locales. The children, some as young as five-years-old, weave through crowds of tourists and local partiers, peddling red roses until the bars close.

But unlike the child beggars in Bangkok, most of whom are Cambodian and travel to Thailand with their mothers, the rose-selling children are almost all Burmese and have come to Bangkok without their families. Many of them are sent by their parents, who expect to receive monthly payments and see their children returned after a short time. More often than not, the money stops and the kids never come home.

“I let them go because I didn’t know anything,” said Mya Hla Tin*, a Burmese woman gave two of her sons to a man who promised to take them to sell roses in Bangkok and send back money every month. She had no idea that she would stop receiving money after only a few months, or that her children’s “caretaker” in Bangkok would refuse to send her sons back.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1412228678


-- Khaosod English 2014-10-02

[Costas2008]

Try to get hold of these Thai parents first that allow their children selling flowers on the roads in every intersection of Thailand and then you can speak about the Burmese or Cambodians selling roses in BKK.

Why is Thailand keeping a blind eye to this problem?

Not only they are using minors to sell the flowers but they also put them in danger being on main roads and walking between cars.

[slipperx]

Try to get hold of these Thai parents first that allow their children selling flowers on the roads in every intersection of Thailand and then you can speak about the Burmese or Cambodians selling roses in BKK.

Why is Thailand keeping a blind eye to this problem?

Not only they are using minors to sell the flowers but they also put them in danger being on main roads and walking between cars.

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice. The populace consent to a corrupt inept police force, have lawyers who are largely uncontrolled and police who only want money - most do not have any idea what their job really entails. On top of that Thais are sickeningly selfish and many wickedly deceitful so no one gives s monkeys for any injustices - until iti s them involved of course.

The top government and police officials have to pay for their promotions so that the ones most adept at corruption become the richest and can pay the most so you have the most corrupt people at the top making laws and enforcing them on a populace of compliant laid back lambs. If you are foreign you can forget justice unless you are super rich because the whole team of police corrupt lawyers and lying paid witnesses will endure you won't win. Failing they bribe the judge. Poor little kids - who cares?

Maybe it is only me - sometimes it sure feels like if

[asdecas]

"Rose-selling children have become of regular feature of Bangkok’s top nightlife locales..."

To my certain knowledge they have been doing it at least since the Vietnam war, probably since time began in one form or another.

[ironryon]

Try to get hold of these Thai parents first that allow their children selling flowers on the roads in every intersection of Thailand and then you can speak about the Burmese or Cambodians selling roses in BKK.

Why is Thailand keeping a blind eye to this problem?

Not only they are using minors to sell the flowers but they also put them in danger being on main roads and walking between cars.

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice. The populace consent to a corrupt inept police force, have lawyers who are largely uncontrolled and police who only want money - most do not have any idea what their job really entails. On top of that Thais are sickeningly selfish and many wickedly deceitful so no one gives s monkeys for any injustices - until iti s them involved of course.

The top government and police officials have to pay for their promotions so that the ones most adept at corruption become the richest and can pay the most so you have the most corrupt people at the top making laws and enforcing them on a populace of compliant laid back lambs. If you are foreign you can forget justice unless you are super rich because the whole team of police corrupt lawyers and lying paid witnesses will endure you won't win. Failing they bribe the judge. Poor little kids - who cares?

Maybe it is only me - sometimes it sure feels like if

So true!!!

[wayned]

"they have been doing it at least since the Vietnam war, probably since time began in one form or another."

And there you have the answer why Thailand is like it is; corruption, prostitution, human trafficking, etc. It has been a way of life for all Thais as long as they can remember and is entrenched in Thai society and is not going to change until the Thai people acknowledge the problems and get some ambition to change them. It's so much easier to just continue status quo and look the other way or implement selective enforcement of rules that are already in place to make it appear, to outsiders, that they are doing something.

[Farfetched]

I understand now, It is not the fault of the people bringing the children from Burma to enslave them. It is the Thai peoples fault, and always has been, since the beginning of time. The stupidity of posts (posters) just overwhelms me. Good going police..One down and in prison and many more to go. Would love to see a country wide crackdown on this problem. OK, beat me up now.

[allan michaud]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Try to get hold of these Thai parents first that allow their children selling flowers on the roads in every intersection of Thailand and then you can speak about the Burmese or Cambodians selling roses in BKK.
Why is Thailand keeping a blind eye to this problem?
Not only they are using minors to sell the flowers but they also put them in danger being on main roads and walking between cars.

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice. The populace consent to a corrupt inept police force, have lawyers who are largely uncontrolled and police who only want money - most do not have any idea what their job really entails. On top of that Thais are sickeningly selfish and many wickedly deceitful so no one gives s monkeys for any injustices - until iti s them involved of course.

The top government and police officials have to pay for their promotions so that the ones most adept at corruption become the richest and can pay the most so you have the most corrupt people at the top making laws and enforcing them on a populace of compliant laid back lambs. If you are foreign you can forget justice unless you are super rich because the whole team of police corrupt lawyers and lying paid witnesses will endure you won't win. Failing they bribe the judge. Poor little kids - who cares?

Maybe it is only me - sometimes it sure feels like if

It's not just you, I think you hit the proverbial nail on the head.

[OmarZaidMD]

When I taught English some years ago in Bangkok, near Nana, I was asked by several students (professionals) to help overcome obstacles in obtaining foreign positions such as clerkships, medical residencies, etc. Many had had several rejections and numerous non-responses. They wanted to know why.

I told them that few foreign authorities, if any, respected Thais because of the way they handled their affairs, espeicially their women. I also informed them that the latest social invesigations--by their own social and medical scientists--had established, beyond doubt, that the majority of prostitutes(>1 million) serviced Thai men and that the majority of new HIV cases were married women infected by their husbands--as it is in Malaysia.

They were shocked! They didn't really know. Their heads were in the clouds of false expectations and imaginations, divorced from the soil of their own society. Sad, isn't it?

Edited October 2, 2014 by OmarZaidMD

[winstonc]

When I taught English some years ago in Bangkok, near Nana, I was asked by several students (professionals) to help overcome obstacles in obtaining foreign positions such as clerkships, medical residencies, etc. Many had had several rejections and numerous non-responses. They wanted to know why.

I told them that few foreign authorities, if any, respected Thais because of the way they handled their affairs, espeicially their women. I also informed them that the latest social invesigations--by their own social and medical scientists--had established, beyond doubt, that the majority of prostitutes(>1 million) serviced Thai men and that the majority of new HIV cases were married women infected by their husbands--as it is in Malaysia.

They were shocked! They didn't really know. Their heads were in the clouds of false expectations and imaginations, divorced from the soil of their own society. Sad, isn't it?

good post omar/../..its the last part.which is a disease in this kingdom sad to say..

[catweazle]

Try to get hold of these Thai parents first that allow their children selling flowers on the roads in every intersection of Thailand and then you can speak about the Burmese or Cambodians selling roses in BKK.

Why is Thailand keeping a blind eye to this problem?

Not only they are using minors to sell the flowers but they also put them in danger being on main roads and walking between cars.

Think you forgot that, besides countless other hub awards, Thailand also is the hub of turning a blind eye

[Naam]

slipperx

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice.

how right you are! Thailand and its populace should take lessons from countries where morals and justice are high priorities. instead of allowing little children to sell flowers in crowded and dangerous environments Thailand should once i a while invade a foreign country and/or kill/maim little children with smart bombs, landmines and hellfire rockets.

[kimamey]

slipperx

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice.

how right you are! Thailand and its populace should take lessons from countries where morals and justice are high priorities. instead of allowing little children to sell flowers in crowded and dangerous environments Thailand should once i a while invade a foreign country and/or kill/maim little children with smart bombs, landmines and hellfire rockets.

No country is perfect but I think the example you give is somewhat different. That's not intentional or the reason for the action taken.

[ggt]

This thread has turned into Thai bashing...

I have bought roses from children...I will never miss a few baht...some destitute family may have food on the table because of their child selling roses...

[kamahele]

I don't really understand how an article about Burmese child trafficking has turned into another anti "Thai" diatribe. Yes, Thailand has lots of problems but one cannot and should not put all Thai people into the same category.To suggest that Thai people have not morals is just not correct. Most often Thai people are quite moral but their morals are different than western morals and western morals or lack thereof can also be questioned.

[Naam]

slipperx

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice.

how right you are! Thailand and its populace should take lessons from countries where morals and justice are high priorities. instead of allowing little children to sell flowers in crowded and dangerous environments Thailand should once i a while invade a foreign country and/or kill/maim little children with smart bombs, landmines and hellfire rockets.

No country is perfect but I think the example you give is somewhat different. That's not intentional or the reason for the action taken.

for the dead children or those who lost a leg, an arm (or two) it will be a huge consolation that the action was justified and the side effects were not intentional.

[Chaz1819]

When I taught English some years ago in Bangkok, near Nana, I was asked by several students (professionals) to help overcome obstacles in obtaining foreign positions such as clerkships, medical residencies, etc. Many had had several rejections and numerous non-responses. They wanted to know why.

I told them that few foreign authorities, if any, respected Thais because of the way they handled their affairs, espeicially their women. I also informed them that the latest social invesigations--by their own social and medical scientists--had established, beyond doubt, that the majority of prostitutes(>1 million) serviced Thai men and that the majority of new HIV cases were married women infected by their husbands--as it is in Malaysia.

They were shocked! They didn't really know. Their heads were in the clouds of false expectations and imaginations, divorced from the soil of their own society. Sad, isn't it?

Great post and true enough stuff. How does it pertain to the OP? I thought I had glitched onto another posting without realizing it. :-) Edited October 2, 2014 by Chaz1819

[wvavin]

Animals love their offsprings too but these rose selling kids' parents are worse than animals. No words to describe what they are!

[kimamey]

This thread has turned into Thai bashing...

I have bought roses from children...I will never miss a few baht...some destitute family may have food on the table because of their child selling roses...

There's nothing wrong with the idea of giving money and it's probably desperately needed in many cases, it's the way in which children are used. It seems as if a lot of money is skimmed off before it's sent back and even then is only sent for a while then stops. The children don't always return either. I'm guessing that after the money stops being sent back the the person who brought the children here keeps the rest, minus any bribes of course.

I sometimes see young children selling flowers at intersections and to be honest it looks cute with them having to stand on their toes to reach the pickup window but I know that behind that there's danger in what they're doing.

Abusing kids isn't alright if you pay them for it.

[Halion]

This thread has turned into Thai bashing...

I have bought roses from children...I will never miss a few baht...some destitute family may have food on the table because of their child selling roses...

Nobel thought however you miss the point. These children are being exploited both by their parents and by their local handlers. This is no life for a child. Furthermore, the family's may be able to put a humble meal on the table while the handlers drive around in their luxury cars.

This is a real and internationally recognized problem with child labor and you feel that this is Thai Bashing. It is what it is.... disgraceful.

[muffy]

_{You see the same in all the big cities of the world only the children are young and want to be street people .Look at your own back yard .}

[ebean001]

Do you see this is western countries. NO. Why? These countries have a safety net for people. What the heck would you do if you had no money, education, skills, job, etc. What would you do? Where is the help. Do you simply lay down in bed and die. It breaks my heart for these children - and their parents.

[kimamey]

slipperx

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice.

how right you are! Thailand and its populace should take lessons from countries where morals and justice are high priorities. instead of allowing little children to sell flowers in crowded and dangerous environments Thailand should once i a while invade a foreign country and/or kill/maim little children with smart bombs, landmines and hellfire rockets.

No country is perfect but I think the example you give is somewhat different. That's not intentional or the reason for the action taken.

for the dead children or those who lost a leg, an arm (or two) it will be a huge consolation that the action was justified and the side effects were not intentional.

I'm sure you're aware that I never said it would be a consolation nor did I intend that impression should be implied. Since you mentioned it I doubt the parents of the children who never returned from Bangkok find it a huge consolation that they got a few months money from the deal either. I don't know how many Thai children selling flowers at intersections are killed or injured but I'm sure there are some and the fact that it's allowed and considered normal by many just shows a different attitude here that ties in with the rose sellers.

As I said no country is perfect and I realise that behind these stories there is genuine poverty that should, but probably won't be dealt with but there seems to be evidence that the financial gain is more for those running the business than the families of the children. What happens to those who don't return? Do they carry on selling roses, or with no family support but dependant on those who brought them here do they end up moving on to more lucrative activities?

In the cases you brought up the original reason, or at least part of it is that there is suppression, torture and killing. In attempting to stop that others are killed or injured as a consequence. In this much smaller example the stopping of the selling of roses by children there will be financial consequences for the families but does that mean it should be allowed? One other point is who loses most in absolute financial terms when this is stopped or is it other people?

Maung Miang said he sent 1,500 baht from the children’s rose sales back to their parents in Myanmar every month. However, the children who sell roses on Khaosan Road can bring in twice that amount in a single night. Maung Miang declined to answer a question about where the rest of the money went.

Given that he's in custody and that this can't have been the first time police have been seen in this area it makes you wonder where a lot of that money went and why he's keeping quiet about it. Which brings us back to values in this country.

Anyway I feel I must congratulate you on bringing western foreign policy into a thread about Burmese children selling roses.

[ChrisY1]

A disgusting and racist article!

Comes from Khaosod so any wonder...........!

These "journalists" who write this trash should be taken down big time!

There are literally hundreds of kids selling crap at all the sex scene places in Thailand........and mostly Thai!

[Nemesis7]

This thread has turned into Thai bashing...

I have bought roses from children...I will never miss a few baht...some destitute family may have food on the table because of their child selling roses...

GGT, I appreciate your kindness, its nice of you. But have you ever thought what will be their life and future just after few days when they are little older??? Unimaginable future will transform them into a different person with different profession at the age when they were suppose to go to school and play with others.

Call me what ever, but I hate those parents who let their children lead a dangerous life so that they can have food on table. they should have known and taken the responsibility as parents.

[ChrisY1]

I don't really understand how an article about Burmese child trafficking has turned into another anti "Thai" diatribe. Yes, Thailand has lots of problems but one cannot and should not put all Thai people into the same category.To suggest that Thai people have not morals is just not correct. Most often Thai people are quite moral but their morals are different than western morals and western morals or lack thereof can also be questioned.

You think this is really about Burmese children......???

The Burmese kids are a very minor part of this problem...........

Suggest you get out sometimes and check where these "flower sellers" really come from at 2am in the morning......

[kinmaew]

Because the elite could not give a rats, off to London and Munich on their private jet and more champagne only the best will do while the majority languish in poverty. It will blow up in their face one day because treating people like this is not free.

[ezzra]

Try to get hold of these Thai parents first that allow their children selling flowers on the roads in every intersection of Thailand and then you can speak about the Burmese or Cambodians selling roses in BKK.

Why is Thailand keeping a blind eye to this problem?

Not only they are using minors to sell the flowers but they also put them in danger being on main roads and walking between cars.

Because Thailand has no morals and no justice. The populace consent to a corrupt inept police force, have lawyers who are largely uncontrolled and police who only want money - most do not have any idea what their job really entails. On top of that Thais are sickeningly selfish and many wickedly deceitful so no one gives s monkeys for any injustices - until iti s them involved of course.

The top government and police officials have to pay for their promotions so that the ones most adept at corruption become the richest and can pay the most so you have the most corrupt people at the top making laws and enforcing them on a populace of compliant laid back lambs. If you are foreign you can forget justice unless you are super rich because the whole team of police corrupt lawyers and lying paid witnesses will endure you won't win. Failing they bribe the judge. Poor little kids - who cares?

Maybe it is only me - sometimes it sure feels like if

If I had to write a comment to this topic I would say the same things you have said.....

[off road pat]

I remember, years ago,.....I saw a young kid sitting and begging with a little Puppy dog on a rope, on the pavement on Sukhumvit. As i waked further +/- 20m there was another kid also with a puppy dog,......and +/- 20m further on another one and so on,......I saw more than 10 kids and I did not got further, But I'm sure there ware more.....so I had a drink at some place, and watched the kids.......at the end of the evening when all the street vendors started to pack there things to go home,....a Brand new minivan stopped and picked up the kids that I could see and continued to pick up the other ones further up......the next morning I woke up early and went to have a coffee and saw the minivan stop and the kids got out with there Puppy dogs and went to sit on there emplacement again.....this took on for many weeks until some tourists complained and articles started to emerge in foreign newspapers....then the police rounded up the gang it made headlines in the Bangkok Post... and was forgotten, and not followed up like so many other cases......never heard what happened to the gang, and the police they payed off to continue there dirty business.........

[theslime]

This thread has turned into Thai bashing...

I have bought roses from children...I will never miss a few baht...some destitute family may have food on the table because of their child selling roses...

GGT, I appreciate your kindness, its nice of you. But have you ever thought what will be their life and future just after few days when they are little older??? Unimaginable future will transform them into a different person with different profession at the age when they were suppose to go to school and play with others.

Call me what ever, but I hate those parents who let their children lead a dangerous life so that they can have food on table. they should have known and taken the responsibility as parents.

You knoiw what goes on in Burma? bomba,slave.murder.