Thailand's image abroad - a wee rant

[Bernie]

This week, on the two hour nightly news program "Anderson Cooper 360," CNN is running a series of stories focusing on the more tawdry side of life in Southeast Asia. The stories and the correspondent are centered principally on Thailand. The series so far has had very factual and negative stories about the trafficking in rare animals, animal parts and human sex slavery and prostitution. My lovely Thai wife is shamed by the stories. All of Thailand should be embarrassed. Mightily so. All the good attributes of the Kingdom, its people and culture are lost and sublimated to the corruption and shameless profiteering of these illicit activities.

I'm truly not a puritan. But if I was Thai I would be outraged by it all. The Favorite Wife, in her gentle way, expresses rage and shame that this image is what is seen by most of the outside world. She and her Thai friends hold much of the Thai government and establishment responsible. Hopes were high last October when the CNS threw Toxin and his cronies out on their collective arse. But the hopes are quickly waning and the realization is setting in that not much will change after all. The Toxin crowd will likely get away with much of their ill deeds, just as their forerunners have. Witness the permission given to Pojaman just yesterday to take 400 million baht out of the country. Stolen money allowed to be transferred with impunity. Why aren't those accounts frozen given the investigations going on now?!

And there is growing and genuine fear of what will likely happen when HM passes from the scene. They fear and expect great unrest with a likelihood of extended unrest and loss of life and property. All the plans to eventually retire back to Thailand are being seriously re-considered. Our beloved Thailand seems destined to suffer that ancient curse of living through interesting times.

I wonder how many share our sentiments.

[jamesn]

I didn't see the show and the transcript on cnn.com is incomplete, but I wonder how much of this is good investigative journalism vs. sensationalism. News programs like this are more concerned with ratings than accuracy in my opinion and Thailand is such an easy target. Show a few clips from a random gogo bar in Patpong that has little to nothing to do with the subject, and you can attract all kinds of viewers in the US looking for cheap titillation. Never mind that you are presenting a distorted picture of a whole country.

I have pretty low respect for CNN. To get an accurate story on this subject you'd have to wait for BBC or Al Jazeera to cover it or some other organization with reasonable journalistic standards.

[doseiai]

First of all, I would like to say that those who didnt see the show should open their mind and not comment!! This is about the show and not about CNN (So keep your prejudices to yourself!) I know CNN is biased, and often refutes alternative views, though its not censorship as it airs them.

I learned a few things from the show, including the fact that over 1 million animals are illegally exported annually, the range of types of animals, and that it can be more lucrative than the drug or gold trade. The documentary showed Chatuchak market, and showed how animals were often mistreated and uncared for, and sometimes died. It went on the explain why we should care about animal trade. They also showed how businesses would lock up when police would come, and how police couldn't search a closed shop without a warrant. (Why dont they just have undercover police?)

Regarding the sex trade, anderson Cooper, as a CNN reporter, has a script to read from CNN, which of course was full of stereotypes, commented on how massive and widespread forced labor and prostitution is, and the widespread and damaging effects of it. Although I believe its right on the mark and true for human trade as a whole, incl in Indochina, its not the general case in Thailand. Despite this, there was little to distinguish Thailand from its much poorer neighbors such as Cambodia, Burma. They showed a little baby boy sold for $10 by his mother, an HIV hospital filled with babies, albeit all in Cambodia. Forced labor is a fact of life in much of Burma, this I know, and Cambodia after its war was so devastated in not suprised of the sheer desperation in the people.

I'm not suprised CNN wouldn't pick up on the intracacies of the differences between SE Asian nations. Generally though I rate Anderson Cooper's commentary well because his attitude is to listen, not to preach. He does not refute or try to persuade "alternative viewpoints" at all, unlike other CNN shows which rip apart or belittle alternative viewpoints, and this is common of him to all the shows.

At the end of the show, an American-thai (I presume) Bangkok based social worker said the most accurate and insightful commentary I have ever heard regarding the sex trade in SE Asia. She went on to explain how in Thailand sex workers came form places such as Isarn, that most of the prostitution/labor was not forced. She did explain the many pitfalls and situations where abuse could occur in this type of work. She also went on to explain that many of them were not sold, and in fact, their parents didnt know what they were doing to make money, which i felt was dead on.

She said most of these workers were often the more well off, the more independent, educated, and ambitious who were looking to better their lot in life (those who weren't seemed to accept their life in Isarn), as opposed to the stereotypical poor and desperate being abused. (This actually disturbs me more as the best educated and most ambitous should be going for other types of work..the Cambodia and Burma cases while extremely sad are fact of life, where as the Thai situation I find shameful because of the conscious choice involved.) In this case, I do agree with thai politicians that the Buddhist society has been thrown out for a materially driven one, but their solutions are byzantine and don't work.

Since Anderson Cooper didnt do anything to refute this, I feel overall this show was definitely insightful for those who listen well and very eye opening, however, my biggest complaint is the fact that the situation is Thailand is vastly different than its neighbors and should be handled as such, and this fact was never highlighted.

[jpatokal]

The series so far has had very factual and negative stories about the trafficking in rare animals, animal parts and human sex slavery and prostitution. My lovely Thai wife is shamed by the stories. All of Thailand should be embarrassed. Mightily so. All the good attributes of the Kingdom, its people and culture are lost and sublimated to the corruption and shameless profiteering of these illicit activities.
Yup. And that's why the best solution would be do what Singapore did decades ago, and legalize the sex industry. Poof: no more corruption, no more sex slavery, less spread of disease. Everybody wins! (Except maybe better-than-thou Thai wives.)

[jamesn]

First of all, I would like to say that those who didnt see the show should open their mind and not comment!!

Sorry, I didn't think it was shown in Thailand and I don't get CNN in any case here. I did go to the trouble of reading the transcript, but it didn't seem to include much of this particular feature.

I'm glad to hear that the show was more fair to Thailand than I've come to expect from much of the foreign media. I remember the recent saga of John Mark Carr, and some of the stuff I heard and read around that time was pure distortion and sensationalism, including on CNN (I was in North America at the time).

My post was intended as a general comment on foreign media coverage of Thailand, not as a specific comment on the Anderson Cooper 360 show. Part of Thailand's bad image abroad is fair, part of it is the result of bad journalism (one culprit being CNN).

[Bernie]

I've been interested in your responses to my original post. One thing I really appreciate and enjoy (and cherish) about this Forum and the website is the quality of the information and participation. Kudos to all.

Just want to make a couple of quick replies to points made in your responses so far.

I would be the last to defend the objectivity of the American news media. Their stories must always be filtered and considered against personal experience and objective knowledge. But, given all that, most of the American media are acceptable in my book. I would agree that the BBC is a tad better. And you might be interested to know that BBC and others have run many programs in the past on the commercial sex industry in Thailand and other SE Asian countries. Saw one recently on an Australian programme and BBC Two is running one this week. Not very different from the stories on Anderson Cooper this week. Cooper's show is available in Thailand on cable TV. Without wanting to appear judgmental . . . Al Jazeera? Jeez!!!!

Re The Favorite Wife, she is from Issan. Middle class family. Good education. She feels sorry for the girls who have to ply their bodies. It is a sadness and regret, not smugness. Have never detected a "better-than-thou" attitude towards those girls. Her anger is directed at those who take advantage of those girls and profit from them. Some are educated and do it out of choice apparently, and simply to acquire the material goods they view as essential to coolness. Favorite Wife doesn't feel the same sadness for those. But apparently most of the girls are from very poor backgrounds and often do it out of an incredibly strong desire to help their disadvantaged families.

What I have found most curious and interesting is that so far our dear readers' responses to my post have focused on the veracity of the foreign media. Nary a response regarding what I sense is a growing disenchantment by the Thais (both in Thailand and overseas) with the tepid action against the Toxin crowd. Nor any response regarding their strong concerns and pessimism about what is likely to happen when HM moves on. The people's acceptance of his successor (or lack of acceptance) will be a vital factor for a peaceful transition. The ones I talk to seem to view certain likely successors with distrust and disfavor and make flat assertions as to non-acceptability. And of course all of the resulting confusion could make it vastly easier for certain politicians to take over completely. Interesting times ahead indeed. I wonder if others among our dear readers have sensed anything similar. (I have intentionally avoided naming names here because it might make it awkward for those dear readers who are in Thailand. But I think all are sufficiently adept at inter-linear reading.)

[jpatokal]

Re The Favorite Wife, she is from Issan. Middle class family. Good education. She feels sorry for the girls who have to ply their bodies. It is a sadness and regret, not smugness. Have never detected a "better-than-thou" attitude towards those girls.

Previously you said: "My lovely Thai wife is shamed by the stories. All of Thailand should be embarrassed. Mightily so." Which to me implies that your wife is embarrassed/afraid that she would also be considered a part of the sex industry.

Nary a response regarding what I sense is a growing disenchantment by the Thais (both in Thailand and overseas) with the tepid action against the Toxin crowd.
Sorry, but I entirely fail to see the connection between Thaksin and the sex industry? :confused: And all I sense is a growing disenchantment with the junta, not Thaksin.

[doseiai]

I caught a glimpse of the sequel to the show today...this time in Phnom Penh. Anderson Cooper was in the redlight district there...and they visited a local clinic where a 5 year old girl was sold to a brothel by her parents, and then contracted HIV/AIDS. She was rescued from the brothel, but has pneumonia and TB (which incidentally is the leading cause of death for HIV positive people) and the girl, now 6, asked the clinic worker, who she calls "mom", if she was going to die. Of course, the clinic worker explained that she wasn't, but she was bright enough to ask...Then why do I need these medicines? In Cambodia, HIV retrovirals are not available like Thailand, so probably her chances are not that great. They went on to explain that police and the government are complicit in this.

I must admit things like this are scary. Cambodia is like Thailand thirty years ago at the beginning of the HIV epidemic, worse than that actually as infrastructure including hospitals, doctors, nurses, roads, are basically nonexistant compared to Thailand even way back then, forget ambulances, life support systems, advanced medicines, etc Jeez. When I was there, I was told hospitals there can't do much more than give you a band-aid. I can't even begin to imagine what life for her and thousands like her is like...

[doseiai]

I think the international media slams Thailand precisely because they expect so much more. Thailand is considered a tiger economy, a major agricultural exporter, a country will strong family bonds intact (as opposed to say Russia), its obviously very industrial as it produces cars, electronics, medicines, and tons of skyscrapers! Given that historically it was the center of sex industry and human trafficking, the media is slow to catch on that Thailand, while very corrupt, still manages to have relatively strong amount of freedom and human rights, has strong sex education, labor law programs, and now forced and underage labor/sex is much more of an exception rather than a rule.

Thailand has a lot going for it, and thats why I expect more too...more from the government, but also more from ordinary Thais, in terms of attitude, self respect, cleanliness, and following rules. It never fought Japan, it never engaged in war on its own land. It's had contact with Europe for just about as long as Philippines or Japan.
S. Korea, out of ashes of the Korean War, and after centuries of Chinese brutality, followed by a century of Japanese brutality, only since 1960 came back and took over Japan's most advanced and coveted industries. I'm not expecting this out of Thailand, but Thailand can't expect to just be simply be better than the world's most impoverished nations.

In Cambodia, Burma, (I can't speak for Lao), forced and undergage labor and sex is much more of a rule than an exception. Given Cambodia's utter destruction under Pol Pot, this does not surprise me, but saddens me a great deal. Burma is equally horrific, but more in terms of slave labor. Cambodia is a place where NGO's go to fix things, and then take $100,000 salaries, take "vacations" in Thailand cuz things there are so bad, and then little of the money trickles to the people. In fact, I was told by an Oxfam director that a donation of thousands of condoms was unnecessary in Cambodia, and would be better used in Thailand. Soon after, UN released a report stating a huge shortage of condoms in Cambodia. NGO corruption is rife! Some places can't be helped because of active warfare or armies, but Cambodia isn't one of them...nevertheless its future is still extremely bleak.

I understand how much we all care about Thailand, but let's not get carried away. So the media rags on Thailand? Big deal...it hurts your or their ego, but who's lives does it shatter? The magnitude of crimes that goes on in Cambodia and Burma (as well as in Africa, India, Iraq, and other places) pales in comparison to the damage to Thailand's image...

Just a few days ago, I read the toll in Iraq is estimated to be 1 million now. 1 million. Thats a million individuals, not a statistic.

I'm not trying to depress anyone here, but we can only grow by putting our urges, wants, and needs into perspective. (Legalize prostitution advocates...I'm not saying dont do it, but do it for the right reasons) Let me leave you with a true but disturbing quote...

"To kill one is murder, to kill many is grisly, to kill a million is just a statistic".... Joseph Stalin

That's a chilling fact about humanity, but until we demand more from ourselves and others, nothing's gonna change. Iraq today = 1,000,000 dead.