Thai Language Blog

So what about the gangs and drugs in Thailand? Well, there just wasn’t any that I could find. I don’t even hear stories. I’m not saying they don’t exist, I’m just saying that from my experiences these two problems are mostly irrelevant to the prostitution situation. What about diseases? Fortunately, not all Thai politicians are useless. One such politician, who calls himself “Mr Condom” made the country aware of the AIDs epidemic and made condom usage culturally acceptable to Thais. I’d even encourage you to check out one of his chain restaurants – good food, and interesting decorations.

language notes: The Thai word for condom is the same as in English, kawn1dawm3 คอนด้อม. Another popular word is tung5 ถุง or tung5 yaang1 ถุงยาง, which basically means bag or pouch. You can also use the slang word yaang1 ยาง, which means ‘rubber’ (also just like in English).

So is Thai prostitution ‘good’ and US prostitution ‘bad’? Well, unlike in the US, Asia in general has a serious problem with trafficking and forced prostitution. And child prostitution. Money given to these criminals will of course result in more kidnappings and such. I also see mothers sending their 3 year old girls begging for money alone in the red-light districts, making my heart sink. And it funds corrupt politicians and police officers, which lead to other societal problems. My friend Lek does it voluntarily; that’s her choice and I respect that. But you will always find ‘bad people’ lurking in the darker side of any country. By being a customer you risk funding their ‘bad’ activities.

Anyway, we all have our own beliefs of what is and isn’t moral, I’m just explaining to you the cultural aspect from my own experiences.

Shifting the subject a bit, I once posed a question to these ‘working’ girls: what do you consider to be the perfect guy? I honestly thought they’d have a long list of ‘requirements’ given their lengthy experiences with men. But their unified answer shocked me: “I’ll take whoever is willing to marry me.” I’d ask, ‘well, what about skin color? Or education? Or what country they come from? Or money?’ They said if they could choose, they would, but they’ve long since given up on that. They’ll take whatever they can get.

So whatever happened to Lek? The last I heard from her, she messaged me from Britain telling me she married this British guy. She had no interest in talking about him, and so I understood what that meant.

Now for prostitution in Thailand. I think the best way to describe the difference is to tell you story that a girl told me. Let’s just say her name is Lek (not her real name). Lek was 16 when her mother took her to Pattaya to look for a ‘job’. For those who don’t know, Pattaya is a city known for prostitution.   Anyway, Lek was quite ignorant of the world and didn’t know about Pattaya’s reputation. Her parents had run into financial trouble and were about to lose their home (or whatever). So anyway, she just thought she was going to get a job as a waitress. I mean, being Thailand she wasn’t exactly well educated, and she being Asian it’s normal to respect and obey her parents without question. In the end she ended up working at a ‘show’ that demonstrates shooting ping pong balls across the room . . . amongst other things (you look it up, I’m not explaining it). But she wasn’t in the show, she was a cashier. She told me how over the two years she worked there that surprise police visits would force her to run out the back door to avoid getting caught. The legal age is 18 at these establishments, which she wasn’t.

Despite those two years of ‘bad influences’, she didn’t actually ‘sell herself’ (ขายตัว, kaai5 dtua1). It was afterwards when she found herself without a job and no money, and parents that couldn’t support her, that she became desperate. She described the feeling as “I was really hungry – I had no money to pay for food.” Think about it. If you have zero job skills due to your upbringing, and your parents took you to work in Pattaya because they considered it acceptable, it’s very hard to say “I want to work for $1.25/hour as a respectable waitress.” I mean, when the other option is ~$33/hour as a prostitute it can be quite tempting. Rent alone starts around ~$100/month in the cities (for a dirty rundown place), so you do the waitress wage math.

language notes: A rude way to refer to a prostitute is ‘saow5 haa5 gin1’ สาวหากิน, which means ‘a girl looking for something to eat.’ It’s important to understand culture when learning a language, no?

to be continued . . .

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Disclaimer: The following views and descriptions should not be conferred as the views held by Transparant Thai, and in no such manner is this article meant to demean women or Thailand. The following article is presented as a means to convey the darker side of Thailand, an opportunity to learn vocabulary that wouldn’t be taught in any formal/proper educational setting. Such vocabulary, culture, and events can be found in Thai movies and daily conversation, giving it practical academic use.

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This is one of those really sensitive topics. Some people might enjoy learning about this subject, some might be offended by it, and I’m sure some Thais will feel ashamed by it. But in the end, Thailand is one of the sex tourism capitals of the world so it’s a topic that cannot be avoided. Anyway, everyone has their own opinions towards prostitution. This article isn’t meant to change your opinion in any way, just to better inform you of the subject with reference to Thailand. It’s also meant to teach you the necessary Thai vocabulary. Thailand is of course known for its rampant prostitution, and anyone who learns the Thai language at some point will need to know the related vocabulary. But that isn’t to say you or I support the ‘industry’.

Culturally, Thailand is a fairly liberal country, but it wears a mask of conservatism. Now, I’ve never been a customer to the darker side of Thailand. I’m a straight-edge type of guy. But I am very interested in Thai culture, all aspects, so I’ve put effort over the years to understand the ‘dark side’. And that’s what I’ll talk about, mixed in with various important vocabulary words.

Let’s start with the basics. Prostitution in Thailand is illegal (ผิดกฎหมาย, pid2 goat2 maai5). Really? Yeap. But the closest to enforcement of the law are policemen/politicians asking for ‘bribes’ to overlook the issue. And generally they (politicians and police) are all customers of these services.

But let’s first clear up some cultural confusions you may have.

My claim is that prostitution in Thailand is not the same as in the US (I’m American so it’s my reference point). Think about the western stereotype of a prostitute. They are typically drug addicts, with children to feed, low moral standards, low intelligence, bad families, history of violence at home, etc. Driving around in my home town, I’ve occasionally seen them, and they fit the stereotype quite well. Except . . . the ones I’ve seen were quite ugly, some very over weight, some 40+ years old, missing teeth, unkempt hair, smelly, etc. In the back of my mind I wonder if these girls use the money to feed their drug addiction, and perhaps the money then goes to fund drug gang violence (and murder). True or not, that’s the stereotype. Stay with me on this thought . . .

to be continued . . .