Thai sex industry under fire from tourism minister, police

[Hawk]

"Tourists don't come to Thailand for such a thing. They come here for our beautiful culture," Kobkarn told Reuters

Beautiful culture? Dirty beaches, filthy canals, taxi thugs on every street corner; thieves, cheats and scammers hiding in the shadows, rude and surly immigration officials, overpricing, and the list goes on. She obviously stays at home a lot.

[thai3]

This will never happen. Take away the sex industry and the girls will then turn to the government for welfare to make ends meet.

At the moment it's the tourists who make up the Thai welfare system.

There is no Thai welfare unless old, there are always other ways to make an income, like working!

[Squeegee]

As ever, many people vastly overestimate the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

As ever, the government Minister vastly underestimates the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

I'm guessing she's probably a little better informed on the subject than you are.

Don't talk so daft.

This is the unqualified, incompetent that suggested tourists must wear wristbands so they don't get lost. Gifted her position not based on either knowledge or ability but via nepotism. Next you'll be claiming Prayuth is a real prime minister.

[Winniedapu]

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.

And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

Ain't that the truth. There is absolutely NOTHING normal about Thailand. Shutting down the sex industry would send Thailand into a serious financial black hole. No more money to Issan, not to mention all the Hi-Sos who make their money off the Issan girls working on their backs.

One thing is for sure, if this country goes all nanny state, especially with regards to sex, I am outa here. I can get the puritanical BS back in North America, and with far better living and social conditions.

True. Thailand without the raucous sex industry, would end up

as a sort of dirty version of Malaysia....In other words, boring.

If this is the best idea the current government can come up with,

soon everyone in Isan will be clamoring for the return of Thaksin.

Gandalf2 has already responded to a comment in a similar vein in this thread. I fully agree with and support what he said, which was to the effect of "you're not as important to the Thai economy as you think".

Winnie

[thai3]

Yes I am sure the girls in the bars making serious money,

will be so happy to work in a factory making 10,000 baht

a month. But I guess no more marriages to farangs ,

as I am pretty sure the factory life would make it difficult

to meet Mr. Right...

Only an idiot marries a tart from a bar, most meet on the internet these days anyway

[thai3]

"Tourists don't come to Thailand for such a thing. They come here for our beautiful culture," Kobkarn told Reuters

Beautiful culture? Dirty beaches, filthy canals, taxi thugs on every street corner; thieves, cheats and scammers hiding in the shadows, rude and surly immigration officials, overpricing, and the list goes on. She obviously stays at home a lot.

You don't know much about Thailand or it's culture then

[yankee99]

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.

And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

I can't speak of South America but in Asia there is no bigger brothel as Thailand.

So where would those sextourists go then? Probably the Thai hookers will also go there.

Thailand is like a pimple compared to china sex industry

[Winniedapu]

As ever, many people vastly overestimate the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

As ever, the government Minister vastly underestimates the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

I'm guessing she's probably a little better informed on the subject than you are.

Don't talk so daft.

This is the unqualified, incompetent that suggested tourists must wear wristbands so they don't get lost. Gifted her position not based on either knowledge or ability but via nepotism. Next you'll be claiming Prayuth is a real prime minister.

You're right of course on both counts, but that doesn't mean that Khobkarn is wrong. She may be a muppet, she may be a minister because she is the wife of a senior police officer and for no other reason, she may look like a fool more often that she might wish, but she is not exempt from accidentally doing something which is sensible.

It's an unfamiliar feeling, to me as well, to be agreeing with something this woman says. It's feels a bit weird really.

Winnie

[Broken Record]

Yes I am sure the girls in the bars making serious money,

will be so happy to work in a factory making 10,000 baht

a month. But I guess no more marriages to farangs ,

as I am pretty sure the factory life would make it difficult

to meet Mr. Right...

Only an idiot marries a tart from a bar, most meet on the internet these days anyway

Many girls that would have once worked in the bars are also online too, I know many who get customers from their smartphones and never set foot in a bar.

[gdgbb]

This man clearly, doesn't know his job or doesn't read the incoming tourists statistics, majority of male

tourist to the kingdom has to do wit a quest for some kind of sexual gratification of some sort,

if he ever bothered to leave his ivory tower and go down and mingle with the masses, he'd soon learn

that sex tourism is a major revenues earner, and by eliminating it, he'd be putting out as many as a million

hospitality workers that otherwise will go underground and still will ply their trade,

Not the minster, nor the PM and all their army and police men can stop the sex industry from being,

legalize and control it, will be the better way to go about it.....

Which man doesn't know his job? Do you think that you know the tourism minister's job better than she does?

I'd love to see the statistics from which you get your information about the revenue provided by the sex industry and the reasons for the majority of tourists coming to Thailand.

[Crash999]

Crackdowns every 4-5 years for the past three decades. Little will change.

[napoleon3]

By putting it down to 50% , it could improve the number of real quality family tourists and lower the number of scum -pedo- low profile tourists.

I don't think Thailand really needs sex tourists. It has so much more to offer!

[Winniedapu]

"Beautiful culture? Dirty beaches, filthy canals, taxi thugs on every street corner; thieves, cheats and scammers hiding in the shadows, rude and surly immigration officials, overpricing, and the list goes on. She obviously stays at home a lot"

You're absolutely right on all counts, I have no argument with any of that. But it's sensible to distinguish between the wheat and the chaff. The people responsible for every single item on your list are the responsibility of the government of Thailand, not the hoi-polloi.

The people of this country are not the government. The people of this country have been propagandised into submission and subservience for generations. It would do this government no harm at all to pay close attention to what happening in Turkey at the moment, because it's one of those "there but for the grace of God go I" situations, and the government would be well advised to take heed.

Be that as it may you cannot blame the Thai people for the standards or competence of the governments they elect. With any luck and a following wind, all that is very close to being in the past, in the coming months will see the defining event on that path.

Winnie

[bodymassagemyfriend]

What hypocrisy, Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and conservative, Yes and who runs the sex industry ?

Many foreigners ( Baccar's boss is French ) Soapies owned by Chinese , ... ( Sabai Dee )

[DavisH]

What hypocrisy, Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and conservative, Yes and who runs the sex industry ?

Conservative...that's what they like to believe and they face they 'try' to show.....but dismally fail at it. Rather than eradicating the sex industry (which won't be allowed to happen), why not legalise and manage it properly....but that won;t happen either as influential figures would also miss out on their cut.

[bodymassagemyfriend]

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.

And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

Ain't that the truth. There is absolutely NOTHING normal about Thailand. Shutting down the sex industry would send Thailand into a serious financial black hole. No more money to Issan, not to mention all the Hi-Sos who make their money off the Issan girls working on their backs.

One thing is for sure, if this country goes all nanny state, especially with regards to sex, I am outa here. I can get the puritanical BS back in North America, and with far better living and social conditions.

True. Thailand without the raucous sex industry, would end up

as a sort of dirty version of Malaysia....In other words, boring.

If this is the best idea the current government can come up with,

soon everyone in Isan will be clamoring for the return of Thaksin.

Boring only for decadent sex tourists, for decent folk not interested in prostitution it would be a better place.

Decent folk dont go in the same sois anyway so it does not make much difference.

With a normal tourist approach , i far more enjoyed Spain than Thailand. If you wanna compete you need to be on the top and Thai mentality is definitely not competitions. Its more shortcut oriented.

In Spain police is friendly and looks after you , streets are clean food is good and price are competitive. Infrastructure is excellent , what else?

[DavisH]

By putting it down to 50% , it could improve the number of real quality family tourists and lower the number of scum -pedo- low profile tourists.

I don't think Thailand really needs sex tourists. It has so much more to offer!

Sure get rid of the sex industry....but they also have to clean up every other aspect of the tourism industry - clean the filthy beaches (actually there is garbage everywhere)...stop the scams on every corner...stop the dual pricing...the list goes on. Make tourists feel they are welcome rather than the "give us your money then get lost" attitude that prevails here.

[jadee]

This will never happen. Take away the sex industry and the girls will then turn to the government for welfare to make ends meet.

At the moment it's the tourists who make up the Thai welfare system.

There is no Thai welfare unless old, there are always other ways to make an income, like working!

There actually is quite a comprehensive Thai welfare system. Certainly not generous like Western governments but it does exist. There are unemployment benefits, however self employed Thais won't receive this as they won't have paid into the social security fund. In the context of sex work, most prostitutes are from the north east, they may not even have Thai citizenship, so obviously aren't covered and are self employed anyway. Even those who work for bars do so without Social security fund contributions. In this regard, legalizing prostitution would help the workers have some security. Workers are undoubtedly having to support parents and family members who likewise have no recourse to unemployment or welfare benefits. Quite depressing really.

[overherebc]

Yes I am sure the girls in the bars making serious money,

will be so happy to work in a factory making 10,000 baht

a month. But I guess no more marriages to farangs ,

as I am pretty sure the factory life would make it difficult

to meet Mr. Right...

Only an idiot marries a tart from a bar, most meet on the internet these days anyway

I picked mine from a photograph in a restaurant.

[jlwilliamsjr18]

"Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and deeply conservative..." Very, Very Doubtful.

[Winniedapu]

By putting it down to 50% , it could improve the number of real quality family tourists and lower the number of scum -pedo- low profile tourists.

I don't think Thailand really needs sex tourists. It has so much more to offer!

Sure get rid of the sex industry....but they also have to clean up every other aspect of the tourism industry - clean the filthy beaches (actually there is garbage everywhere)...stop the scams on every corner...stop the dual pricing...the list goes on. Make tourists feel they are welcome rather than the "give us your money then get lost" attitude that prevails here.

Good point. It's almost as if the same approaches which have allowed the prostitution industry to thrive have been exported more widely in the population. With any luck, if the prostitution industry were to undergo a down-sizing, some of the other pollutants in Thailand would also discover that their attractiveness is diminished.

Winnie

[Gweiloman]

Catering for dirty old men isn't really applicable in the 21st century. I must admit picturing a young pretty Thai lady barely 20 years old, with a drooling fart, old enough to be her grandfather is quite repulsive. In EU this would be considered unacceptable. Regretfully, Thailand does seemingly attract the dregs of society .. the sex tourists, perverts, and criminals. Most come after failing to attract a woman in their home country, (which is not surprising). So they come to LOS, as looks/age don't matter, so long as you have a fat bank account. I have witnessed 60 year-old men acting like a 21 year-old, which just looks ridiculous. Would be nice if Thailand cleaned-up it's act. The bars, and whore-houses were catering for the US service men at the time of the Vietnam war, well those days are gone. Time to clean-up the image of the country that is for sure.

If we are turning this into a poll - my vote is in favour of prettys young things continuing to service the demand for sex.

Puritanical posts like the above are as asinine as they are ignorant. Thai ladies have been servicing the sexual needs of Thai males for centuries; US servicemen simply provided a new market and that has been superseded by the multinational visitors coming to Pattaya etc.

As an old man with a fat bank account I am very happy to support the continuation of the sex-tourist industry.

I take some satisfaction in knowing that I have helped a number of girls stay out of their Isaan rubber plantations - and also helped to put food in the mouths of their bastard offspring that are being raised by Mama,

I take some satisfaction in knowing that I have helped a number of girls stay out of their Isaan rubber plantations - and also helped to put food in the mouths of their bastard offspring that are being raised by Mama

Spot on comment. My caddy yesterday at a well known members only golf club yesterday was a sweet young thing of 22 years old. She has a 2 year old daughter that she is trying to raise by herself (being taken care of by mama when she's caddying). She earns about 7-8,000 baht a month. Father is dead, boyfriend / husband has buggered off.

A poor girl like this has literally zero chance of finding a good Thai husband as she already comes with baggage. In another year or so, her expenses would also start to increase as her child starts going to school. It's almost impossible to see how she can make ends meet, going the way that she's going. Also, the price of milk in the supermarkets would knock you off your chair.

I would happily take her in and provide for her and her daughter. Not sure how well my current gik would accept that arrangement though. Will have to wait and see.

At the end of the round, being an old fat man with a relatively fat bank account, I gave her a 1,000 baht tip instead of the normal 300-400 tip with the clear instruction that it is to buy milk and presents for her 2 year old.

This is of course not related to the topic here but just an extension of how as foreigners, we do sometimes contribute directly to the society.

[Just1Voice]

It's not just the girls in the bars and massage parlors. Here in CM there is a "thriving business" of university girls working freelance to pay for school and the extras, such as clothes phones, etc. I know a few of them, from good families, are good students, but want that extra money, so they sell it on the side to accomplish that.

[Winniedapu]

"Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and deeply conservative..." Very, Very Doubtful.

I share your scepticism, perhaps the following would be more accurate:

"Thailand considers itself to be predominantly Buddhist and deeply conservative..."

Winnie

[recycler]

I hope the Baht holds until I can take my 400K for visa renewal out again....

[napoleon3]

By putting it down to 50% , it could improve the number of real quality family tourists and lower the number of scum -pedo- low profile tourists.

I don't think Thailand really needs sex tourists. It has so much more to offer!

Sure get rid of the sex industry....but they also have to clean up every other aspect of the tourism industry - clean the filthy beaches (actually there is garbage everywhere)...stop the scams on every corner...stop the dual pricing...the list goes on. Make tourists feel they are welcome rather than the "give us your money then get lost" attitude that prevails here.

I agree! There is a lot to do and to change !

Maybe getting rid of these sex tourists could be a part of the solution?

Maybe Thai people would understand tourist wants Quality and beautty and not sex

A very long way to go !!!

[Lupatria]

Maybe it's just an attempt to dry out the cash flow towards the Thaksin fans in Isaan. After rice farmers with suicidal tendencies we may soon read about Pickup Truck dealers suffering from the same symptoms.

I wonder what the Minister's plan is for hundreds of thousand hookers in the country. The usual procedure- providing "inactive posts"- wouldn't work here that well.

[little mary sunshine]

Good for the Minister. Control the trash, porn and

Whores; make Thailand more Family oriented, you

Will see the Quality of the Tourists increase along

With the spending on nicer restaurants, and more

Sightseeing. Rid this place of so much sleeze and

Low class drunks on small pensions and in five years,

Thailand could,be a World Class destination with people

Spending lots of money.

[Rayk]

As ever, many people vastly overestimate the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

Yes, because we all know that the only reason why people go to Pattaya is for the beautiful beaches, jet ski scams and ladyboy robberies.

And the only reason why people flock to Nana or Soi Cowboy is to smell the wonderful stench of BKK in all its glory, and look at the beautiful skyscrapers.

[thai3]

'We want the sex industry gone," she said.' Quite right too, despite the wishful thinking of sex pats who imagine how much their payments for sex are helping the economy or the unsubstantiated claims that hordes or students are involved as well, so that's ok then stories. Those that do not think Thailand is deeply conservative should try kissing their gf on a bus!, why do you think they even pixelate out Rubens type paintings in a film, as well as the slightest hint of cleavage, guns knives, drinks and cigs on TV? There is a real move against the sex industry now, and about time.