Bangkok's New Airport To Change The Face Of Seedy Pattaya

[Quadra]

I dont think that the new airport will have much effect in attracting additional tourists to Pattaya but I do think that numbers will increase from the east namely China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan . The Tourist Authority of Thailand seem to be focusing all their energies on attracting visitors from the east (and Russia). Little seems to be done in attracting Europeans/Americans/Aussies. Has the recent rchange in regulations re: visas, land/home ownership only impacting on farangs?

[BlackJack]

hey - Pattaya is a tourist beach town and lots of countries have one.

Most countries have a sex capital as well

Kings X in Sydney Australia used to be a real sleazy place after the R&R days of the war

Now its a very expensive piece of real estate with some very ritzy hotels and restaurants

Same as many places around the world except Pattaya is a bit tame compared to some.

In Pattaya

I wonder what the % breakdown is

1 golf

2 sex

3 beach

4 seafood restaurant

5 buy cheap computer stuff - like Panthip

6 go to other islands

7 watch the world go by

8 go to hard rock

9 get some fresh air

10 sell the children and wife

etc

[wilko]

Ridiculous!

Pattaya has NOTHING going for it other than the adult playgrounds that are the bars and nightlife. The beaches are filthy. The water is filthy. There is way too much traffic and pollution.

If people were interested in a family "clean" environment, then they would go to Sri Racha up the road and already 30+ minutes closer to even the current airport. But despite it's attractive "clean" environment, it hasn't been at the top of the places to go list.

Puh-lease! Pattaya is for playing. There are far, far, more beautiful beaches in Thailand (and the world), so why the hel_l would anyone want to go to a "cleaned-up" Pattaya?

A zebra without the stripes is still not - and will never be - a stallion!

Sri Racha? Oh please! Why?

Tammi - you seem to be confusing fact with conjecture. Do you have personal experience of being "accosted"?

[johnh101]

I would doubt it !

[wilko]

hey - Pattaya is a tourist beach town and lots of countries have one.

Most countries have a sex capital as well

Kings X in Sydney Australia used to be a real sleazy place after the R&R days of the war

Now its a very expensive piece of real estate with some very ritzy hotels and restaurants

Same as many places around the world except Pattaya is a bit tame compared to some.

In Pattaya

I wonder what the % breakdown is

1 golf

2 sex

3 beach

4 seafood restaurant

5 buy cheap computer stuff - like Panthip

6 go to other islands

7 watch the world go by

8 go to hard rock

9 get some fresh air

10 sell the children and wife

etc

Now it might have changed but I spent New year 1998 to 1999 in King's Cross and although I stayed at a great hotel and had a great time I clearly remember all the strippers dancing on the balconies above the strip clubs at midnight, and watching all the hookers alkies and druggies going about their business.

I lived in Sysney for a while in 2001 too and KC was more or less just the same then. The last time in Sydney 2003 things didn't look different either.

I know that property prices all over Sydney rocketed then, but KC still beats Pattaya hands down in the slease stakes

But....if you really want slease....go to King's Cross London!

Ther are areas in towns all over the UK that make Pattaya look like a girl guides picnic.....

[BlackJack]

hey - Pattaya is a tourist beach town and lots of countries have one.

Most countries have a sex capital as well

Kings X in Sydney Australia used to be a real sleazy place after the R&R days of the war

Now its a very expensive piece of real estate with some very ritzy hotels and restaurants

Same as many places around the world except Pattaya is a bit tame compared to some.

In Pattaya

I wonder what the % breakdown is

1 golf

2 sex

3 beach

4 seafood restaurant

5 buy cheap computer stuff - like Panthip

6 go to other islands

7 watch the world go by

8 go to hard rock

9 get some fresh air

10 sell the children and wife

etc

Now it might have changed but I spent New year 1998 to 1999 in King's Cross and although I stayed at a great hotel and had a great time I clearly remember all the strippers dancing on the balconies above the strip clubs at midnight, and watching all the hookers alkies and druggies going about their business.

I lived in Sysney for a while in 2001 too and KC was more or less just the same then. The last time in Sydney 2003 things didn't look different either.

I know that property prices all over Sydney rocketed then, but KC still beats Pattaya hands down in the slease stakes

But....if you really want slease....go to King's Cross London!

Ther are areas in towns all over the UK that make Pattaya look like a girl guides picnic.....

I agree Pattaya is tame and CHEAPER thats all

[Odysseus221]

Bangkok's new airport to change the face of seedy Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- For many tourists, the Thai resort of Pattaya conjures up images of criminals on the run, girls enticing westerners into sleazy bars, and most disturbingly, child sex tourism.

But the town is undergoing a renaissance as the new Suvarnabhumi Airport prepares to open nearby, creating a rush among high-priced hotel chains for beachfront property aimed not at the single guy, but wholesome families.

"Developers are buying land to develop shopping malls, five-star hotels, and in a few years Pattaya will change its face," says Chaiwat Charoensuk, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Pattaya.

"We need the families to visit Pattaya, so it is our job to do something to change the image," he adds.

Pattaya was once a quiet fishing town, but the arrival of US soldiers on leave during the Vietnam war soon put an end to that, with go-go bars and brothels sprouting up to cater for company-starved GIs.

Tourist authorities are now hoping the resort will undergo another transformation, from sleazy sex destination into family-friendly beach town.

The new airport is located 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Pattaya, and will open as planned on September 28 despite the military coup on September 19 which ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Chaiwat says he hopes the opening of the 113 billion baht (3.0 billion US dollars) hub will boost the number of Thai and foreign visitors to Pattaya from 5.8 million per year to 6.5 million.

Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the Dusit Resort and president of the Pattaya chapter for the Thai Hotels Association, says this predicted boom has caused land prices to rocket.

"There are many new hotels opening like the international chain hotels," he says. "In just three to four years the price has gone up 100 percent in the prime areas."

One place looking for a new brand of holiday-maker is the Sheraton. The five-star beachfront property opened in August 2005, and is aimed at couples.

"We are hopefully bringing a new market to Pattaya," says Gavin Maloney, director of sales and marketing, who also predicts a boom in business travellers, many of whom visit factories nearby.

But there are worries that Pattaya's seedy side may not disappear, instead vanishing behind the closed doors of plush new hotels and apartment blocks.

Anthony Burnett, a spokesman for ECPAT, an international NGO that works to end the sexual exploitation of children, says that once a region has established a reputation for sex tourism, it can be difficult to alter.

"In central areas of the city, a profusion of bars host young women who engage in sexual acts for payment," he says.

Most of these women are over 18, but he says that young teenage girls walk the streets looking for customers, while underage boys are offered up as 'masseuses'.

Burnett acknowledges TAT's efforts to clean up the city, but says there remains much to be done, and warns that the recent boom could have consequences.

"The proliferation of foreign-owned or rented apartments can make child sexual abusers harder to detect, as instead of abusing children in bars or hotels, they are now able to do so in their own homes," he says.

All tourism officials and hotel owners say they are committed to getting rid of child sex tourism, but concede that the wider adult entertainment industry attracts a lot of people.

"Another kind of tourist wants entertainment and relaxation," says TAT's Chaiwat. "As long as it is not illegal they can come and enjoy life, that's fine for me, it is not dirty, it's normal."

Along the beachfront, where mostly British tourists clad in football shirts, shorts and the obligatory sunburn enjoy the baking weather, holiday-makers agree that Pattaya is a fun destination.

"I think it has got something for everyone. It's good for families, it's good for young lads like me," says Michael Johnson, 23, an entrepreneur from Britain.

But most tourists agree that Pattaya is not appropriate for children.

"In our hotel they let guys come back with boys or girls," says Karen Yeo, 47, from the UK.

Aoife Lowe, a 27-year-old recent graduate from Ireland, says that if she had children, she would not bring them to Pattaya.

"I just don't think they should be exposed to that sort of thing," she says.

But Chaiwat says there are plenty of attractions for children to enjoy, including a zoo, a submarine and a water park.

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says. — AFP

— AFP 2006-09-26

[BlackJack]

Bangkok's new airport to change the face of seedy Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- For many tourists, the Thai resort of Pattaya conjures up images of criminals on the run, girls enticing westerners into sleazy bars, and most disturbingly, child sex tourism.

But the town is undergoing a renaissance as the new Suvarnabhumi Airport prepares to open nearby, creating a rush among high-priced hotel chains for beachfront property aimed not at the single guy, but wholesome families.

"Developers are buying land to develop shopping malls, five-star hotels, and in a few years Pattaya will change its face," says Chaiwat Charoensuk, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Pattaya.

"We need the families to visit Pattaya, so it is our job to do something to change the image," he adds.

Pattaya was once a quiet fishing town, but the arrival of US soldiers on leave during the Vietnam war soon put an end to that, with go-go bars and brothels sprouting up to cater for company-starved GIs.

Tourist authorities are now hoping the resort will undergo another transformation, from sleazy sex destination into family-friendly beach town.

The new airport is located 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Pattaya, and will open as planned on September 28 despite the military coup on September 19 which ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Chaiwat says he hopes the opening of the 113 billion baht (3.0 billion US dollars) hub will boost the number of Thai and foreign visitors to Pattaya from 5.8 million per year to 6.5 million.

Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the Dusit Resort and president of the Pattaya chapter for the Thai Hotels Association, says this predicted boom has caused land prices to rocket.

"There are many new hotels opening like the international chain hotels," he says. "In just three to four years the price has gone up 100 percent in the prime areas."

One place looking for a new brand of holiday-maker is the Sheraton. The five-star beachfront property opened in August 2005, and is aimed at couples.

"We are hopefully bringing a new market to Pattaya," says Gavin Maloney, director of sales and marketing, who also predicts a boom in business travellers, many of whom visit factories nearby.

But there are worries that Pattaya's seedy side may not disappear, instead vanishing behind the closed doors of plush new hotels and apartment blocks.

Anthony Burnett, a spokesman for ECPAT, an international NGO that works to end the sexual exploitation of children, says that once a region has established a reputation for sex tourism, it can be difficult to alter.

"In central areas of the city, a profusion of bars host young women who engage in sexual acts for payment," he says.

Most of these women are over 18, but he says that young teenage girls walk the streets looking for customers, while underage boys are offered up as 'masseuses'.

Burnett acknowledges TAT's efforts to clean up the city, but says there remains much to be done, and warns that the recent boom could have consequences.

"The proliferation of foreign-owned or rented apartments can make child sexual abusers harder to detect, as instead of abusing children in bars or hotels, they are now able to do so in their own homes," he says.

All tourism officials and hotel owners say they are committed to getting rid of child sex tourism, but concede that the wider adult entertainment industry attracts a lot of people.

"Another kind of tourist wants entertainment and relaxation," says TAT's Chaiwat. "As long as it is not illegal they can come and enjoy life, that's fine for me, it is not dirty, it's normal."

Along the beachfront, where mostly British tourists clad in football shirts, shorts and the obligatory sunburn enjoy the baking weather, holiday-makers agree that Pattaya is a fun destination.

"I think it has got something for everyone. It's good for families, it's good for young lads like me," says Michael Johnson, 23, an entrepreneur from Britain.

But most tourists agree that Pattaya is not appropriate for children.

"In our hotel they let guys come back with boys or girls," says Karen Yeo, 47, from the UK.

Aoife Lowe, a 27-year-old recent graduate from Ireland, says that if she had children, she would not bring them to Pattaya.

"I just don't think they should be exposed to that sort of thing," she says.

But Chaiwat says there are plenty of attractions for children to enjoy, including a zoo, a submarine and a water park.

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says. — AFP

— AFP 2006-09-26

AND ??

[Boomee]

hey - Pattaya is a tourist beach town and lots of countries have one.

Most countries have a sex capital as well

Kings X in Sydney Australia used to be a real sleazy place after the R&R days of the war

Now its a very expensive piece of real estate with some very ritzy hotels and restaurants

Same as many places around the world except Pattaya is a bit tame compared to some.

In Pattaya

I wonder what the % breakdown is

1 golf

2 sex

3 beach

4 seafood restaurant

5 buy cheap computer stuff - like Panthip

6 go to other islands

7 watch the world go by

8 go to hard rock

9 get some fresh air

10 sell the children and wife

etc

Now it might have changed but I spent New year 1998 to 1999 in King's Cross and although I stayed at a great hotel and had a great time I clearly remember all the strippers dancing on the balconies above the strip clubs at midnight, and watching all the hookers alkies and druggies going about their business.

I lived in Sysney for a while in 2001 too and KC was more or less just the same then. The last time in Sydney 2003 things didn't look different either.

I know that property prices all over Sydney rocketed then, but KC still beats Pattaya hands down in the slease stakes

But....if you really want slease....go to King's Cross London!

Ther are areas in towns all over the UK that make Pattaya look like a girl guides picnic.....

I agree Pattaya is tame and CHEAPER thats all

hear!hear!

[coltrane]

Burnetts comment:

"The proliferation of foreign-owned or rented apartments can make child sexual abusers harder to detect, as instead of abusing children in bars or hotels, they are now able to do so in their own homes"

Supposing Mr. Burnett had said ""The proliferation of African-American- / Jewish- / immigrant- / homosexual-owned or rented apartments can make child sexual abusers harder to detect, as instead of abusing children in bars or hotels, they are now able to do so in their own homes." M'learned friends would be getting busy, I surmise...

Personally, the thing I fear most is a proliferation of NGO-worker-owned or rented apartments in my neighbourhood. I was once hired to do consultancy with some '3rd world / development NGO' staffers back in England. They were by some distance the most unprincipled group of people I ever met professionally. The great majority were either unable, or unwilling, to distinguish between a research study and something they made up on the way to the meeting. I've still got some of their 'research reports' somewhere; they would be hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that someone got PAID for writing them. There was one about sex-tourism in Goa that I particularly treasure (but it would take much too long to describe)...

[skippybangkok]

Bangkok's new airport to change the face of seedy Pattaya

"Pattaya is like Disneyland, but you don't pay an entrance fee," he says. — AFP

— AFP 2006-09-26

If only Pattaya were like Disney - where you pay an enterance fee and all rides are free......

Nope, word is u pay before Exit.........

[Tammi]

Pattaya is sleazy and is known world wide for its sleaze.

Long live sleazy Pattaya!

Dear Ulysses G whose other by'name is Unwanted Member.

Nuff said??

[Ulysses G.]

Pattaya is sleazy and is known world wide for its sleaze.

Long live sleazy Pattaya!

Dear Ulysses G whose other by'name is Unwanted Member.

Nuff said??

As named by the Society of Boring Old Prudes.

Thanks for your vote Tammi!

[Tammi]

I dont think that the new airport will have much effect in attracting additional tourists to Pattaya but I do think that numbers will increase from the east namely China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan . The Tourist Authority of Thailand seem to be focusing all their energies on attracting visitors from the east (and Russia). Little seems to be done in attracting Europeans/Americans/Aussies. Has the recent rchange in regulations re: visas, land/home ownership only impacting on farangs?

Fact: Bus load of Taiwanese or Korean tourists draw up at a go-go joint. All the men troop inside and all the ladies sit on benches outside until men reappear and then all get back on bus. Jeeeeez!

And, guys, (you know who you are) please stop telling me to go elsewhere. I've loved Thailand, and the Thai people I come in contact with, from the moment I set foot here and, I think, I have been here a lot longer than any of you. It's very sad that Pattaya has got the name that it has because of the people who come here for nefarious purposes. As I've said before, there are many, many nice farangs and Thais here as you can see from the Pattaya Mail and Pattaya Post every week. It's a pity that the nefarious minority ruin the place. Why is it always so difficult to get rid of evil?

[Ulysses G.]

And, guys, please stop telling me to go elsewhere.

Why is it always so difficult to get rid of evil?

Puritanical types have always been even more resilient than cockroaches.

[Pattaya_Fox]

I dont think that the new airport will have much effect in attracting additional tourists to Pattaya but I do think that numbers will increase from the east namely China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan . The Tourist Authority of Thailand seem to be focusing all their energies on attracting visitors from the east (and Russia). Little seems to be done in attracting Europeans/Americans/Aussies. Has the recent rchange in regulations re: visas, land/home ownership only impacting on farangs?

Fact: Bus load of Taiwanese or Korean tourists draw up at a go-go joint. All the men troop inside and all the ladies sit on benches outside until men reappear and then all get back on bus. Jeeeeez!

So what is your point? Did you expect the ladies to be provided with comfortable armchairs or did you expect the men to walk? How can it be fact when you don`t even know which country the suposed tourists came from?

[britmaveric]

I dont think that the new airport will have much effect in attracting additional tourists to Pattaya but I do think that numbers will increase from the east namely China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan . The Tourist Authority of Thailand seem to be focusing all their energies on attracting visitors from the east (and Russia). Little seems to be done in attracting Europeans/Americans/Aussies. Has the recent rchange in regulations re: visas, land/home ownership only impacting on farangs?

Fact: Bus load of Taiwanese or Korean tourists draw up at a go-go joint. All the men troop inside and all the ladies sit on benches outside until men reappear and then all get back on bus. Jeeeeez!

So what is your point? Did you expect the ladies to be provided with comfortable armchairs or did you expect the men to walk? How can it be fact when you don`t even know which country the suposed tourists came from?

Have you seen these Asian tourists in a Go Go - oh my buddha its bloody comical. Lady gets within 3ft of them and they jump up and do a runner.

[icecubes]

Have you seen these Asian tourists in a Go Go - oh my buddha its bloody comical. Lady gets within 3ft of them and they jump up and do a runner.

Thats the only way you can get a seat in Happy ago go.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Have you seen these Asian tourists in a Go Go - oh my buddha its bloody comical. Lady gets within 3ft of them and they jump up and do a runner.

Thats the only way you can get a seat in Happy ago go.

Definitely no benches outside there

[homehunter]

Pattaya has a bad rep created mainly from perpetually repeated sleazy stories. Is it really any worse than Bangkok?

As for sex capital it has its bars and walking street is an eye-opener to most first time visitors but by shear volumn Bkk must surely still be the sex as well as the National capital?

Pattaya, if you have been a visitor for more than 10 years, will seem to be getting worse but if like me you have only seen the past 5 years of its history will have noticed the vast improvements that have been made here. Housing quality has most definately improved as has the choice of accomodation available. Roads have generally improved as has the increase in quality restaurants which has been received very gratefully.

Every growing economy has a negative element trying to cash in on the boom and Pattaya hasn't been spared on this front that is for sure. Progress, I do use the term advisadly, can not be stopped even if we want it stopped. Quaint old fishing village it may have been (mosquito infested swamp was the discription given to my wifes uncle who settled here as a young boy more than 60 years ago) but a thriving tourist city it most certainly is now, that can not be denied. Were it goes from here in the next few years will assuredly set or seal its fate.

All I ask is that everybody embraces the TAT sentiment of cleaning up the image of Pattaya and stop repeating 2nd or 3rd hand stories that spin a negative image and tell people of all the fun times that they have experienced here in Fun City.

[Tammi]

All I ask is that everybody embraces the TAT sentiment of cleaning up the image of Pattaya

Agree!

[Tarqin]

Tammiflu,

Whilst not telling you to leave though I wish you would, could you explain why you and your delicate flower friends who fall in to a swoon if presented with a piece of paper offering sex services by a Thai who probably can't even read whats written on it and is just trying to make a living, do actually stay here if you hate it so much.

It does seem a little perverse. Do you frequent the Castle for some self flagellation perchance?

[Pattaya_Fox]

Tammiflu,

Whilst not telling you to leave though I wish you would, could you explain why you and your delicate flower friends who fall in to a swoon if presented with a piece of paper offering sex services by a Thai who probably can't even read whats written on it and is just trying to make a living, do actually stay here if you hate it so much.

It does seem a little perverse. Do you frequent the Castle for some self flagellation perchance?

Doubt it....would probably whinge about the black dress code

[mulphy]

So where will the new home of the 50 year old desparate and dateless sexpat be?

Chonburi?

Pattaya is getting a bit too expensive for most

i live and work in pattaya,and do the same things tourists do in pattaya, but although prices have risen in the last few years,pattaya is still the cheapest place to spend your money in thailand.

accomodation is dirt cheap, too cheap in my opinion,beer in a bar is half the price of the same beer in phuket and most places in bangkok,and even bar fines and the rates the ladies ask for is around half what bangkok or phuket ladies ask for.

the newer accomodation and new bars and restaurants that are spouting up all over pattaya has definatelyimproved its facilities and image.

unfortunately the beach is not particularly great, but phuket in my opinion has very little to offer, for me at least ,other than its beach. i get bored after about 4 days every time i go there.

so im sorry to disagree with you but in my opinion pattaya is too cheap and not at all expensive.i would like to see higher charges on accomodation and in beer prices. ok my business interests lie in those too areas but , i would like pattaya to charge similar rates for accomodation to phuket and samui.as most of the newer accomodation in pattaya is of better quality.

[icecubes]

so im sorry to disagree with you but in my opinion pattaya is too cheap and not at all expensive.i would like to see higher charges on accomodation and in beer prices. ok my business interests lie in those too areas but , i would like pattaya to charge similar rates for accomodation to phuket and samui.as most of the newer accomodation in pattaya is of better quality.

Look mate people are paying over two pound a pint in the bars

of Pattaya,

That is not <deleted> cheap.

One more bar owner post on Tv.

Property developers, Estate agents, Bar owners.

Is there any real people out there in the Pattaya section of Tv.

Yawn.

[Pattaya_Fox]

So where will the new home of the 50 year old desparate and dateless sexpat be?

Chonburi?

Pattaya is getting a bit too expensive for most

so im sorry to disagree with you but in my opinion pattaya is too cheap and not at all expensive.i would like to see higher charges on accomodation and in beer prices. ok my business interests lie in those too areas but , i would like pattaya to charge similar rates for accomodation to phuket and samui.as most of the newer accomodation in pattaya is of better quality.

You WANT higher prices in Pattaya..........Competition will ensure that prices remain fair.

There are many visitors who go to Pattaya because they can afford the prices of accommodation and entertainment and if they were increased to the level of Samui then the low season which spells despair to some hoteliers and business owners would become even slower.

Greed should be replaced with common sense and tolerance when operating in Pattaya.....just ask the successful business people here.

[Ulysses G.]

The main reason that I go to Pattaya is because of the reasonable prices, otherwise I would go somewhere with a much cleaner/prettier beach like Phuket. IMHO Pattaya darn well better keep their prices low or customers will flee in droves as they did when Phuket first started taking all their business.

[webbew]

Tammi:

I commend you for your good intentions. You want to make Pattaya a better place for everyone and that's a deserving goal.

Unfortunately, the problem you and those of your ilk are facing is that you are unable to see the forest for the trees. Holding the power, you would wipe places such as Walking Street in Pattaya off of the planet without a single thought given to the consequences of such an action.

As imperfect as they are, places such as Pattaya do serve a purpose in society, and in their own imperfect way they somehow help to make our world a better place in which to live.

There are two underlying elements which fuel a place such as Pattaya. One is poverty and the other is lonliness. On one side of the equation we have a society of women born into a culture, already impoverished, which views them as second class citizens. These women cannot own businesses or property unless these things are provided to them or willed to them through a thai family member or unless they are the only other alternative to a farang. Thus, in a country which is already impoverished, the women are the most impoverished of all. On the other side of the equation are the men. Whether it be a sailor who has been to sea for six months or a man who lacks the attractiveness or social skills to have normal male/female relationships. Both come to Pattaya to find (if only for a little while) the kind of human contact which can only be provided by a woman but which is lacking in their lives.

So, if you wish to eliminate places like Walking Street from the face of the planet, then poverty and lonliness is the two headed monster which you must attack. A formidable opponent indeed. Defeating this monster is a challenge because in order to bring it to its knees you must deal with the underlying problems which breath life into it in the first place. You must deal with the stance of inequality which Thailand continues to support. You must deal with the REAL problems which men who come to places like Pattaya are having. Anything less is simply putting a band-aid over a bullet hole.

Coming on to this board and spouting off about how much Pattaya disgusts you solves nothing and changes nothing. You'll be very hard pressed to find anyone outside of your circle who cares enough to jump on the band wagon.

[RAZZELL]

There are two underlying elements which fuel a place such as Pattaya. One is poverty and the other is lonliness.

Excellent post

[britmaveric]

Well post is a bit off - its anywhere in Thailand for starters. Secondly - some of the ladies in question aren't that impoverished, just caught in the endless cycle of support for their families. Thirdly - some are just looking for husbands.