March 10, 1997
"Enjoyed your comments concerning Chiang Mai. My wife is from that beautiful city and yes, the international perspective of Thai women is prostitution. As long as the market exists and the Thai government will turn their heads, it will continue. Now that AIDS is tearing the inner fabric of Thai society apart, real changes are starting to be realized. The nightly exploits of Thai men are finally being condemned by the wives and families concerned."
-GGeorge@microsoft
(CULTURAL BRIDGE PRODUCTIONS: We thank you for your comments but feel some responsibility to add the caveat that the "exploits of Thai men" are only one aspect of Thai prostitution supported, arguably, for better and worse by Thai Buddhism and tradition - a tradition that cannot be fairly evaluated within a foreign framework. Another side of prostitution is relatively new to Thailand though the degree of destruction left by it far outweighs its centuries old domestically confined counterpart. Originating at the time that Thailand was used as an R&R spot for American soldiers during the Vietnam War, Thai prostitution has become integrally interwoven with international economics in the form of international tourism. Such tourism has created places like Pattaya where the menu for both men and women includes boys and girls of any age. Although Thailand must shoulder its share of responsibilities for its own society, we must not forget that foreign tourists have a responsibility of their own which they must shoulder.)
