Prostitution: Thailand's worst kept secret

[micmichd]

I know quite a few massage and bar girls in Pattaya Beach.

From what they said it looks to me that many are doing sexual healing rather than sexual intercourse with Farangs.

Many Farangs are too drunk to f***, and many suffer from erectile dysfunction. Some get healed, some only yek yek when they come home.

Those who get finally healed are actually patients, and the girls who cure them doing a quasi medical job.

[elgordo38]

I see they have a new service now in the West called "Sugar Babies looking for Sugar Daddies" Could be an offshoot of Ashley Madison's service. Its possibly a more refined service than what happens here. Young girls who want money for education or a better lifestyle hook up with rich old guys. A lot say no sex is involved but if I were a rich Sugar Daddy I sure would want to get banged or a BJ or both for my buck. What happens between the sheets stays between the sheets along with DNA and other things.

[Cthulhu]

Without prostitution Thailand would easily lose 50% of Tourists.

People who deny this are just liars and/or ignorant.

But it's all about appearances and saving face.

Sorry, I thought you meant 50% of losers.

The real losers are the fools who buy the whole cow when they can get the milk by the bottle.

[Lorn]

"Women cant admit they do it, its a loss of their dignity.

Can't say that has been my experience. I remember when I first came to Thailand how much I was intrigued about how "ladies of the night" were being treated by other Thai people..... Like, when a foreigner would bring a lady of this occupation into a restaurant, I'd wait to see what the reaction of the waitress would be....would she look down her nose at her....same when a similar lady would come into the bank for something, I wondered how the bank staff would treat her....to my delight they were (are) treated with the greatest respect, almost with envy in fact, positively with envy in a lot of cases.

My thinking was brainwashed by the warped thinking of the West.

Nonsense. If it's in an area where a lot of rich customers are bringing ladies of the night the waitresses may feign courtesy if they've learnt it gets them a bigger tip. Prostitutes are not respected here by the average person.

Most girls are appalled by it and how many Thai guys would take the prostitutes home to meet the family and marry them like many westerners do? You shouldn't need to delude yourself to sleep better at night. Thailand is way more conservative than the west.

[mmh8]

my 2p worth, perhaps just mroe enterprising here. I always found russkies interested in a meal and drink, yanks pretence of being royal or just having a different accent, Brazilians are just up for it, as are girls from Chile and Peru. I always here english girls are plain easy, but only expereinced a few like that. in fact with the way brzilian girls are I;'mn surporesedd any make money selling it, this is is no way a slur against brazilains who are some of the cutest girls i ver met

[BlackJack]

the mind boggles

[user786895]

I am still laughing my nuts off here having read the attached article "The aptly named Pol.Col. Sukthat Pumpanmuang, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, said that the couple would be charged with public indecency...."

[thaigold]

Just helping out ....

[stuck]

My dearest RATcatcher:

Did you really write "Thailand can thank the good old American GIs and vets for kick-starting its tourist industry. Thais were always busy copulating with "working" ladies long before the guys in khaki showed up."?

So explain to me how the Thai sex industry was kick-started by American GI's. Perhaps we can kick-start some new industries since according to you we are so adept at it.

Do tell.

Edited July 3, 2015 by stuck

[SupermarineS6B]

The golden rule about lying is that you can tell as many lies as you want to everybody else, but don't lie to yourself........ Sadly something the locals have forgotten........ True story...... After i'd served my apprenticeship with the charming and most accomodating young ladies of Sukhumvit, i thought it was about time that i moved up the ladder(Out of the sewer) and found myself a bit of Hi-So crumpet. Anyway armed with my best ammo, i proceeded to further relations with a Thai international stewardess in the belief that love was on the cards. How wrong could i be ? Much to my dismay, i realised that the only thing that had changed from the bunnies in Sukhumvit and my latest venture, was the price ! When you get the wrapping off, the goods are just the same, or even sometimes of a lesser performance quality. After countless expensive shopping trips and raping of my bank account, i thought it better to abandon ship while i still had enough for a bar fine......... I'm reminded of a saying from an old friend of mine, " You don't pay to (Have sex with them), you pay them to (Go away quickly)" or words to that effect........ I had to move appartments to get away from the Thai stewardess ! God bless the girls from Isaan, better than the national health service ! Next !!!!!!!!!!!

[jesimps]

Without prostitution Thailand would easily lose 50% of Tourists.

People who deny this are just liars and/or ignorant.

But it's all about appearances and saving face.

Sorry, I thought you meant 50% of losers.

And the little old feller sitting on a park bench in his home country waiting to die is a winner I suppose. How many times have you been a "loser" in Thailand mate?

[shaggy851]

It is what it is. Officially 20% of thai women who are in a position to sell sex do just that. Don't forget there'd also kept girlfriends and Mia nois. They are happy to have their room payed for and a bit of spending money to be on call for discreet sexual encounters. Not a secret that there is love for sale in South East Asia. If you come here alone everybody assumes that you are here for that, and if you have a thai lady friend she is quite likely to be a prostitute. Thailand has that reputation and deservedly so. You can write a big article on it but you aren't opening anyone's eyes to anything, and if you know this much to write an article you probably partake as well. You're probably a well known hand-sum man come pay day. I've been told I'm quite handsome myself.

[djlest]

Thats not entirely true, you cannot blame the Viet GIs for starting prostitution in Thailand - perhaps thats what the Thais say but the true facts are that the Chinese brought prostitution to Thailand hundreds of years ago, and India also had a role to play with the concubines

[Sparkles]

The reality is that most Thai girls/women see foreigners as security for how ever long they might live. Its purely a financial security decision.

That's not to say they are bar girls/prostitutes or those of lower education but the reputation of Thai men who can walk away from a relationship/marriage and leave the woman with no money and many cases a child/children to look after ,the numbers are staggering.

I taught many mature age students who are now in their early 30's who said they would never ever marry a Thai man an dhavent,there is no trust or back up from the courts for financial support,should the wheels come off.

Having said that the percentage of really happy relationship between a Thai lady and a foreigner is also pretty dismal probably about the same success ratio as it would be back in our home countries.

i consider myself one of the lucky ones.I met my wife when she was 42.She had a good job as an accountant and her own condo,she didn't need me but we clicked and have had 12 wonderful years together.

I think that's the secret of longevity if you can find someone who does not see you as an ATM machine tucked away in the corner of the house and marries you for all the right reasons,ie love.

[Johnny S]

Without prostitution Thailand would easily lose 50% of Tourists.

People who deny this are just liars and/or ignorant.

But it's all about appearances and saving face.

Sorry, I thought you meant 50% of losers.

Are you one of the 99.99% of foreigners here that HASN'T been with a prostitute?

<sarcasm>

He just try to keep up appearance and pretend ... thai style ... same time he must think that the 90% of thai men that have been to prostitute are losers ... yes ...

[animatic]

20% of Thais are prostitutes

80% of Thais are prostitutes customers

100 % of Thais hate and despise prostitutes

Except when they are in bed with one of them....

[dabbers]

He actually may not be far off. Long time expats will recall an old 1987 Bangkok Post survey which stated that 70% of all foreign tourists were single men, which was discussed in the media for years (here is one place: http://www.indianapsa.org/2008/article2.pdf). Of course, one might argue whether or not that survey was correct and whether or not there has been a dramatic shift in couples vs.single men coming to Thailand since then. But if you remove the huge influx of Chinese tourists in recent years, one might argue that 50% is a roughly accurate figure for Western tourists (if the Bangkok Post was indeed correct).

That's a bold statement. Can you point us to any reliable sources to confirm this "fact"?

Without prostitution Thailand would easily lose 50% of Tourists.
People who deny this are just liars and/or ignorant.
But it's all about appearances and saving face.

[DoctorB]

The golden rule about lying is that you can tell as many lies as you want to everybody else, but don't lie to yourself........ Sadly something the locals have forgotten........ True story...... After i'd served my apprenticeship with the charming and most accomodating young ladies of Sukhumvit, i thought it was about time that i moved up the ladder(Out of the sewer) and found myself a bit of Hi-So crumpet. Anyway armed with my best ammo, i proceeded to further relations with a Thai international stewardess in the belief that love was on the cards. How wrong could i be ? Much to my dismay, i realised that the only thing that had changed from the bunnies in Sukhumvit and my latest venture, was the price ! When you get the wrapping off, the goods are just the same, or even sometimes of a lesser performance quality. After countless expensive shopping trips and raping of my bank account, i thought it better to abandon ship while i still had enough for a bar fine......... I'm reminded of a saying from an old friend of mine, " You don't pay to (Have sex with them), you pay them to (Go away quickly)" or words to that effect........ I had to move appartments to get away from the Thai stewardess ! God bless the girls from Isaan, better than the national health service ! Next !!!!!!!!!!!

Well said, that man!

Hi-So or Lo-So, when it comes to women and sex, the only things that vary are the price and the quality of the product; and even they are not directly related.

The rest is just b/s and noise.

[micmichd]

So what?

How many tourists would go to other countries if there were no girls?

[Johnny S]

Every one I know and met, only ever came here the first time for the sex

Classy company you keep

but at least he is honest ...

[gchurch259]

Yeah. and so are "Left Hand Cigarettes" !!

I'm new to Thailand, I didn't realize there was prostitution in this country ... it's illegal isn't it ?

[seadog57]

Majority of these girls come from Issan, They work this for help their poor parent from Issan.... But Issan is not the PTP/Red Stronghold ?

yes but not all people in Issan are red shirt as not all women in Issan work in that industry

[spidermike007]

A friend of mine, who is rather influential and ran the largest HIV foundation in Thailand for many years, told me it is well known in NGO circles, that there are more women per capita working in the sex industry in the US, than in Thailand. I realize many will say no way. Not in the US! But, it is so far underground, and so well hidden, that it is hard to believe. In LA alone, there must be 100,000 escorts. Between that area, the massage, and porn, it is a huge industry in the US. Here it is a lot more out in the open, so it appears large. But, my guess is we are talking about less than 1% of the population that is involved in the industry in the LOS.

[OmarZaidMD]

They're are no prostitutes in Thailand but lots of ladies looking for husbands and willing to spend short time or long time with men to see if they are sexually compatible.

Indeed, at least 99% of them are waitresses, or hotel receptionists or work in massage parlors ... and they are more than happy to spend time with anyone, of any age, for a small (in the beginning) financial consideration.

Can't remember where I read it, it was a while ago, but something like 90% of the prostitution here in Thailand is nothing at all to do with foreigners, it's Thai on Thai in those very discreet places that no one admits exist but everyone knows where they are and that has been the way of Thailand for centuries.

I think I wrote a note on that here about 2 years ago. Ten years ago a study was done by a Thai University Sociologist in Bangkok. He/she determined that stat from a survey, purely with Thai prosititutes, most of whom severiced locals and did it almost solely to support their families. If Thai dignity is to be restored, it must begin with restoring the protection of women from such misuse.

[Fullstop]

"Secret"???

You're kidding me!

The face saving powers that be are playing with themselves again I see.

[moon47]

Why is the advert at the top right of this thread from Banggood.com? Are our administrators being cheeky?

LOL... =]

Those are adsense adds... That means in non geek speak that they are similar to web sites that you view on a constant basis... =]

Mine are of a different nature and reflect what I look at online most often... =]

Again... LOL... =]

[micmichd]

I think Farang media play a central role. It's in the West where Thailand gets bashed for prostitution.

[keithathome]

Of course a lot of the difference in attitude to sex and sexuality is due to the fact that Thailand is historically mainly Buddhist (philosophy) not judaeo/christian/islam (superstition/religion) with all the guilt and baggage that goes with them.

Edited July 3, 2015 by keithathome

[NoshowJones]

They're are no prostitutes in Thailand but lots of ladies looking for husbands and willing to spend short time or long time with men to see if they are sexually compatible.

So the men don't have to pay for this?

[cumgranosalum]

A friend of mine, who is rather influential and ran the largest HIV foundation in Thailand for many years, told me it is well known in NGO circles, that there are more women per capita working in the sex industry in the US, than in Thailand. I realize many will say no way. Not in the US! But, it is so far underground, and so well hidden, that it is hard to believe. In LA alone, there must be 100,000 escorts. Between that area, the massage, and porn, it is a huge industry in the US. Here it is a lot more out in the open, so it appears large. But, my guess is we are talking about less than 1% of the population that is involved in the industry in the LOS.

e many people who believe anecdotal evidence they either hear or interpret incorrectly.......the US is estimated to have about 1 to 2 million prostitutes.....and Thailand - guess what - about 1 to 2 million prostitutes.

the first thing you notice about those figures is that they are numerically the same which puts Thailand way ahead of US per capita.

The next thing is the huge range - this is because in places like Thailand registration and educated guesses are very difficult as are all "surveys" of the sex trade.

trying to make comparisons between the US and Thailand is pretty pointless anyway as they are like apples and pear...the one thing that is always in the background with sex workers though is poverty.........both Thailand and US have appalling records in dealing with poverty in their respective countries.