Imago said:

I can assure you I had no political motivations, especially regarding US politics and transparently skewed news corporations.

But seriously, the point is, it does go on. Thailand has a problem. It's not what it once was, but it's still a problem. I just take issue with Fox News for the way they've reported this. The overall picture that's painted is so wrong in so many ways. This is such a hotly debated topic in these parts right now for that reason. While the statistics are always going to be hard to come by, here's a general overview of what the deal is on several issues based on what I know and the experiences of others. There is some degree of speculation here, and my own knowledge is thankfully limited somewhat, but I think based on all I've read, experienced and heard, I know enough to give a decent overview, at least more accurate that was Fox is offering up as fact:

- Prostitution is officially illegal in Thailand, but laws allow for certain services (massage, dancing) and allow for a 'bar fine' to be paid whereby a person takes the woman/man off the premises to have sex in a hotel, apartment etc. The age of workers in such jobs is legally required to be 18+. There are moves to legalise prostitution officially, but these current laws are intended to keep straight up brothels to a minimum and keep adult prostitution in private, off the streets and out of the actual bars.

- As bkw said, the sex industry is confined to certain areas in Bangkok and similarly so in areas of certain cities in the rest of the country. It is not everywhere and everything you see when you are in Thailand.

- Most customers, overwhelmingly so, paying for sex with adult prostitutes, are Thai.

- Establishments aimed at foreigners, where sex is offered, do not hire girls under the age of 18 as the risks are extremely high, with the exception (in Bangkok) of Soi. Nana and Soi. Cowboy. It seems that in bars in these two areas girls of 16 and 17 are sometimes employed, likely due to the corruption of those in charge in these two notorious small sois.

- Children are not offered for sex in any typical bars, go-go bars, massage parlours or the like that might be frequented by foreigners, including even sex tourists specifically looking to come here to pay for sex. You cannot walk down the street into a "painter bar" as suggested by Fox, go into a bar and request to have sex with a child. It's behind closed doors, off the streets, hush-hush, and seemingly almost exclusively a 'service' used by Thais. These places may be sought out by determined and distinctly twisted foreign sex tourists, but they are not common or anything like out in the open and freely doing 'business'. Rural areas in the north and north east would appear to be the most problematic areas for child sex abuse, with the perpetrators being almost exclusively Thais.


So you see, Fox News more than implies that the primary reason for foreigners to come to Thailand is for sex, and furthermore, for sex with children. It suggests that Thais neither care or attempt to stop children being abused, and openly allow bars on the streets of Bangkok to offer up children for sex with any passing foreigner with the slightest inclination. That's what I take issue with.

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[Edited 8/22/06 19:19pm]

Fauxie said:

You are sooooo flirting with me.

No wait, you, bkw and that other guy already did that.

Fauxie said:

Now you're flirting with me