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Life as a Thai sex worker
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:41 pm    Post subject: Life as a Thai sex worker Reply with quote

Last Updated: Thursday, 22 February 2007, 13:50 GMT

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Life as a Thai sex worker

Many bar girls are sending money to their families back home
Bangkok is a notorious destination for sex tourism.But the lives of many of the city's sex workers are full of danger, disease and the urgent need to send money home.
Pim, who recently left her job in a go-go bar, has a typical story.

"I grew up in the countryside in Phetchabun, northern Thailand. My parents were farmers and I helped them in the fields. We were poor but we always had enough to get by.


When I was about 15, my family fell apart. My father always drank a lot, but it became worse and worse, and he started becoming violent. So my mother, sister and I moved out.

I wanted to study to become a nurse, but when my parents split up I had to leave school and find work as a day labourer, harvesting crops for local farmers. I didn't like it much, and it only paid 100 baht ($3) a day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6360603.stm
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Yu_Bum_suk



Joined: 25 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
None of my customers ever asked me about my life; they didn't care. There was one time a guy asked me if I was okay, but I didn't know what to say, so I just looked away.



She obviously didn't find the right guy then. My friend spent two weeks with a bargirl he met in Thailand - his whole holiday - and ended up moving back to her family's hometown where he's still living with her. Then again she worked like crazy on her English. Yes, it might be possible to carry on a conversation for up to 30 minutes if your vocabularly only consists of 'you / me / *beep* / suck / yes / no / like / no like / buy drink / bar fine', but if a Thai wants to hold an interesting conversation with a westerner she'd better plan on learning his language.
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Adventurer



Joined: 28 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yu_Bum_suk wrote:
Quote:
None of my customers ever asked me about my life; they didn't care. There was one time a guy asked me if I was okay, but I didn't know what to say, so I just looked away.



She obviously didn't find the right guy then. My friend spent two weeks with a bargirl he met in Thailand - his whole holiday - and ended up moving back to her family's hometown where he's still living with her. Then again she worked like crazy on her English. Yes, it might be possible to carry on a conversation for up to 30 minutes if your vocabularly only consists of 'you / me / *beep* / suck / yes / no / like / no like / buy drink / bar fine', but if a Thai wants to hold an interesting conversation with a westerner she'd better plan on learning his language.



You are often asking for trouble if you try to marry a sex worker. It is advised not to do that. They are so much involved in a very bad, seedy profession. Many of the men who attempted relationships with them really regreted it. There are, of course, many exceptions. I think the Thais engage in the trade for different reasons than some of the Koreans. I mean Korea has a much better economy. I think in Korea it has to do with the rampant materialism and the idea you must get and get..
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NAVFC



Joined: 10 May 2006

PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Heck doesnt thailand have one of the worlds highest aids/STD infection rate? wouldnt sleeping with a thai hooker be a huge risk?
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gsxr750r



Joined: 29 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I taught a camp with a teacher who had a Thai gf when he was living there for much of the summer, just before the camp. He broke it off when she invited him to her apartment, which was a 1 room box -- with two male roomates and ONE bed. She told him that one guy was her uncle (also doubled as a lady-boy at night) and the other guy... uh, well... he was just a "friend" of hers. Apparently, this "friend" was none too happy about her showing up with a foreigner.

Laughing
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some waygug-in



Joined: 25 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you want to get some idea from a Thai sex worker's perspective, read the book "My Name Lon - You Like Me?" by Derrek Sharron. wwwbangkokbooks.com
I don't know if you can get it here in Korea.

It tells the story of a typical Thai prostitute's life and some of her motivations for getting into that line of work, as well as some of the problems in Thailand that lead so many girls to do the same.

Thai sex workers come with a whole bucketload of problems, but so do the guys who seek them out. While there may be the odd "nice guy" who just wants a girlfriend, I would guess that there are more who have some serious "issues" in their own lives.
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bosintang



Joined: 01 Dec 2003
Location: In the pot with the rest of the mutts

PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Adventurer"]
Yu_Bum_suk wrote:
Quote:
None of my customers ever asked me about my life; they didn't care. There was one time a guy asked me if I was okay, but I didn't know what to say, so I just looked away.




You are often asking for trouble if you try to marry a sex worker. It is advised not to do that. They are so much involved in a very bad, seedy profession. Many of the men who attempted relationships with them really regreted it. There are, of course, many exceptions. I think the Thais engage in the trade for different reasons than some of the Koreans. I mean Korea has a much better economy. I think in Korea it has to do with the rampant materialism and the idea you must get and get..



I agree with the first part of your argument, that it's asking for trouble to marry a sex worker.

As for the second part about the difference between a sex worker in Thailand and Korea; well, sort of. It's true that many sex workers in Thailand come from desperate poverty, but they are usually Burmese, Laotians, Khmer, etc., and usually end up in the low-end brothels and massage parlours. On the other hand, in the case of the ethnic Thai prostitutes, it's more of a social phenomenon than an economic one. That's not to say the women come from wealthy backgrounds, far from it, but their families aren't exactly starving either.
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caniff



Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map

PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gsxr750r wrote:
I taught a camp with a teacher who had a Thai gf when he was living there for much of the summer, just before the camp. He broke it off when she invited him to her apartment, which was a 1 room box -- with two male roomates and ONE bed. She told him that one guy was her uncle (also doubled as a lady-boy at night) and the other guy... uh, well... he was just a "friend" of hers. Apparently, this "friend" was none too happy about her showing up with a foreigner.

Laughing


Ouch--that really does happen to people?
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itaewonguy



Joined: 25 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the girls are FAR better off with farangs giving them 1000 or 2000 bht for one night of fun!!! the girls come to bangkok or the redlight scene as poor girls they soon are wearing cool clothes holding the lastest cellphone and sending more money back to their parents in a month than daddy could make in 1 year!!

guys who give the girls money for sex are doing wonders for the economy and wonders for the girls family and future for her sister or brother who will not have to go into that business!!
and of course the man gets his rocks off!!!
LIFE IS HARD!! life can be a real biatch at times..
working in a GO GO makes these girls well off!!!
I have only pity that they have to do that job becuase their parents messed up in their lives and now the girl has made a choice to work the GO GOs... but they make sweet cash!! so I dont feel sorry for them once they are in the scene!!
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jinju



Joined: 22 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

itaewonguy wrote:
the girls are FAR better off with farangs giving them 1000 or 2000 bht for one night of fun!!! the girls come to bangkok or the redlight scene as poor girls they soon are wearing cool clothes holding the lastest cellphone and sending more money back to their parents in a month than daddy could make in 1 year!!

guys who give the girls money for sex are doing wonders for the economy and wonders for the girls family and future for her sister or brother who will not have to go into that business!!
and of course the man gets his rocks off!!!
LIFE IS HARD!! life can be a real biatch at times..
working in a GO GO makes these girls well off!!!
I have only pity that they have to do that job becuase their parents messed up in their lives and now the girl has made a choice to work the GO GOs... but they make sweet cash!! so I dont feel sorry for them once they are in the scene!!


I agree. In the same breadth those savage africans were WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better off being taken from that hell of a hole in Africa and allowed to serve their white masters in the civilized world. And now look, theri descendents get to be American citizens instead of living in freaking Burkina Faso or whetever and starving! Thats like WAY WAY WAY cool for them, they should stfu about slavery and all that jazz.

Back to the thais, whats putting up with some twisted fat pig for a night when you can get a super duper cell phone! Its all worth it if its a hot pink Razr!
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happeningthang



Joined: 26 Apr 2003

PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jinju wrote:
itaewonguy wrote:
the girls are FAR better off with farangs giving them 1000 or 2000 bht for one night of fun!!! the girls come to bangkok or the redlight scene as poor girls they soon are wearing cool clothes holding the lastest cellphone and sending more money back to their parents in a month than daddy could make in 1 year!!

guys who give the girls money for sex are doing wonders for the economy and wonders for the girls family and future for her sister or brother who will not have to go into that business!!
and of course the man gets his rocks off!!!
LIFE IS HARD!! life can be a real biatch at times..
working in a GO GO makes these girls well off!!!
I have only pity that they have to do that job becuase their parents messed up in their lives and now the girl has made a choice to work the GO GOs... but they make sweet cash!! so I dont feel sorry for them once they are in the scene!!


I agree. In the same breadth those savage africans were WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better off being taken from that hell of a hole in Africa and allowed to serve their white masters in the civilized world. And now look, theri descendents get to be American citizens instead of living in freaking Burkina Faso or whetever and starving! Thats like WAY WAY WAY cool for them, they should stfu about slavery and all that jazz.

Back to the thais, whats putting up with some twisted fat pig for a night when you can get a super duper cell phone! Its all worth it if its a hot pink Razr!


Spot on Jinju....

IG that was probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Guess we know someone who's been doing "wonders for the economy" among other things
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thepeel



Joined: 08 Aug 2004

PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At least the Thai people can point to underdevelopment and poverty as the root of the massive prostitution industry in their nation. What excuse do the Koreans have for 1 or 2/10 of women being involved in the sex trade?
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nautilus



Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

itaewonguy wrote:

LIFE IS HARD!! life can be a real biatch at times..


Sure, but that doesn't mean you stop feeling sympathy for unfortunate people.

Fact is thai women are railroaded and ushered into this as impressionable girls. They are a cash crop, harvested every year by organised criminals who make fortunes off young and vulnerable females. As in the Op's link, many of the girls are from broken families or otherwise forced to prostitution to survive. In a third world country, an attractive young woman is seen as little more than a breadwinner for her family.

Its highly unlikely any of these girls do it by choice. Its a highly dangerous thing to be trapped into. Its a lack of other options stemming from poverty and the historic asian male superiority that has forced women into a disadvantaged role.
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hubba bubba



Joined: 24 Oct 2006

PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who are we to judge really?

I'd rather be a "go go girl" than have me and my family live in utter poverty and mayeb even starve to death. OK, well, they probably don't starve to death in N. Thailand. You get my drift tho.
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itaewonguy



Joined: 25 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

happeningthang wrote:
jinju wrote:


I agree. In the same breadth those savage africans were WAAAAAAAAAAAAY better off being taken from that hell of a hole in Africa and allowed to serve their white masters in the civilized world. And now look, theri descendents get to be American citizens instead of living in freaking Burkina Faso or whetever and starving! Thats like WAY WAY WAY cool for them, they should stfu about slavery and all that jazz.

Back to the thais, whats putting up with some twisted fat pig for a night when you can get a super duper cell phone! Its all worth it if its a hot pink Razr!


Spot on Jinju....

IG that was probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Guess we know someone who's been doing "wonders for the economy" among other things


JINJU you 're an IDIOT!! dont try to compare slavery of the Africans to thailand go go bar workers!! the girls have a choice!!
the AFRICANS DIDNT!!!

and again the girls have a choice to pick and choose their customers!!

you want to compare!!?? why not compare a korean ROOM SALON worker or a new york escort , or I know!! a girl in MIARI!! or a girl in las vegas working the casinos!! WHATS THE DIFFERENCE!!!
they all sell themselves for sex!! you talk about FAT pig men who pay money to sleep with these girls!! well do you feel sorry for the girls in USA or europe who work in strip clubs??? NO!!! you dont give a rats ass about them !~!!
so dont try and come on here and say ohh the poor thai girls are forced into this horrible way of life and forced to sleep with fat discusting old men for 50 dollars a shagg!!
GET A GRIP!!!
now YES there are SOME!!! SOME!!! girls who have been forced and sold into prostitution!! and this is HUMAN TRAFFICING!!!!
now these girls I do feel sorry for !!! but these girls are not only in thailand! actully! only a few come from thailand!!
RUSSIA is where the majority of human trafficing women come from!!
and while we are on the most extreme cases lets talk about the 40million children world wide who are forced into labour and are making carpets in INDIA! kids who are as young as 4 years old working 12 hour days!!

THIS IS ILLEGAL!!!!
yes I Feel sorry for these children and the woman who have been sold into gangs for prostitution!!!
but you will find that in BANGKOK or most of thailand the girls have a choice!!! you will find that most of the girls in BANGKOK work becuase they choose too!!!
of course there are girls working forced!! they have been sold or made a deal ...
BUT I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT them!!! im talking about the women who choose that way of life!!

the girls do it becuase they hear about how much money they can make!!
or they have a chance of marrying a man who will take them away!!
this happens!! then their are girls who get hooked on drugs and make bad boyfriends who beat them up and spend their money!!
BLAR BLAR BLAR!!

money attracts them!!
they are working girls!!!
freelancers etc.. its a service!!
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