Jump to content

Hundreds of westerners living on the streets of Thailand


george

Recommended Posts

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.”

tvn.png
-- 2013-09-14

Source: TIME

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 307
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

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 by jbrain
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 by MB1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 ".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.





×
×
  • Create New...