ThaiHome Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Interesting viewpoint. Here is link to the TV survey he is refering to. Link Why Thailand’s sexpat community hates Thaksin Shinawatra By Andrew Spooner May 18, 2011 5:24PM UTC View Comments By Dan Waites, guest poster Link The Thailand-based Western expat. We all know the stereotype, and it ain’t pretty. A man – it’s always a man – of modest means and even more modest talents fails to make a success of himself in his home country. He moves to Thailand. Here, he avails himself of the affordable pleasures of the sex industry, sleeping with women younger and better looking than any he could hope to sleep with at home. He drinks himself stupid on a regular basis. Perhaps, literally intoxicated by the lifestyle, he opens a beer bar of his own, complete with a coterie of prostitutes, in Bangkok or Pattaya or Phuket. Effectively, he becomes a pimp. Perhaps he lands a job as an English teacher, a position he is manifestly unqualified for, but this being Thailand he enjoys a level of respect he could only have dreamed of in his home country, for he is now an ajarn. Perhaps he tries to screw his students. Perhaps, dreaming of the license for debauchery issued only to artists, he becomes a “writerâ€, imagining himself a Bukowski or Hunter S. Thompson. He is not a Bukowski, nor a Hunter S. Thompson, and his books, which invariably detail his lurid exploits, are filed in a special section of Thai bookshops labelled “Expat Writingâ€. Perhaps he finds work in a boiler room or sells drugs or runs scams. Perhaps he is a criminal hiding on Koh Samui. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Whatever – he is addicted to a lifestyle of sex and booze and endless sunshine. He has vowed never to leave Thailand. And why would he? It’s an ugly stereotype. Or, rather, it’s several ugly stereotypes rolled into one. And it’s also wildly inaccurate in the case of many expats, who are decent people living in Thailand for any number of decent reasons. But like all stereotypes, it has a basis in reality. There are people like those I’ve described above living in this country. In fact, there are lots. And interestingly, most of the worst seem to hate Thaksin Shinawatra. A good place to find these shining examples of manhood is the Thai Visa Forum. Many of the people who post on the site seem to dislike almost everything about the country and yet, for some reason, they remain here (I suspect it must be the temples). The consensus on the Thai Visa Forum is that Thaksin is evil incarnate and must never, ever be permitted to return. (You will gain brownie points on Thai Visa by wittily referring to Thaksin as “Toxin†and to the red shirts as “red shitsâ€). Here, tales of Thaksin’s return circulate like horror stories. Feelings for the exiled billionaire go beyond hatred and into the realms of outright terror. Thai Visa recently did a survey of its members – 4,434 of them to be precise. Among the areas they were quizzed on was politics. They were asked: “Should Thaksin be forgiven and allowed to return?†Of those who answered, 73.3% said “Noâ€. They were also asked: “If you were allowed to vote in the next Thai election, who would you vote for?†Of those who proffered an answer, 41.2% said they would vote for Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrat Party, while just 14.8% would vote for Thaksin’s Pheu Thai Party (39.3% said they would abstain and 4.7% would vote for another party). Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of valid reasons to disdain Thaksin. The war on drugs. The dreadful mishandling of the conflict in the Deep South. The intolerance of independent media. The autocratic style, the wild pronouncements, the arrogance – I get it. But the kind of expat I’m talking about – let’s call him “Bob Sexer†– is not what you’d call a “humanitarianâ€. He is not a “political junkieâ€. Bob Sexer doesn’t care about good governance or the functioning of Thailand’s democratic institutions. All Bob Sexer wants to do is have fun. So why does he quiver in fear at the prospect of Thaksin’s return? In 2001, shortly after Thai Rak Thai took power following a sweeping election victory, Thaksin and his interior minister Purachai Piemsombun launched what was to become one of the party’s most popular policies: the “social order†campaign. Writing at the time, here was Shawn Crispin (via Bangkok Pundit): In recent months, Purachai’s crusade has served up regular fodder for local newspapers and television news. His raids with police on entertainment venues that break a 2 a.m. curfew, or are suspected of turning a blind eye to drug abuse among patrons, has taken the buzz out of Bangkok’s nightlife. On the quiet, he regularly lectures university students on the merits of family values and traditional Thai customs. More publicly, he has banned teenagers from karaoke booths in shopping malls and is threatening to stop them using mobile phones. Yet Purachai’s campaign is more than puritanical spin. On his watch, traditionally lax law enforcement is firming up across the country. Curfews are being imposed and upheld, drug dealers brought to book and even long-ignored traffic laws are being enforced. Most significantly, Purachai is tackling the interests of the crime groups that control Thailand’s underworld economy. […] For freewheeling Thailand, Purachai’s campaign is a radical departure. And judging by opinion polls, his new social order is proving popular with the urban public. His appeal to traditional values and Buddhist philosophy hits the right notes with many Thais weary of the endless influx of Western pop culture. “To many Thais, his policies are seen as timely and much needed,†says Surichai Wun’gaeo, director of Chulalongkorn University’s Social Development Institute. The campaign was to earn the straighter-than-straight Purachai the nickname “Mr Rulerâ€. As for Thaksin, well, as Bangkok Pundit wrote: “Thaksin’s other policies were appealing to the poor, but it was these social order campaigns which kept the urban Thais on his side for much of his first four years in government.†But they did not keep poor Bob Sexer on his side. Suddenly, Thailand didn’t feel so freewheeling anymore. Thaksin, for a certain type of expat, became a hate figure. But it didn’t end there. Thaksin wanted to improve Thailand’s image abroad and attract a “better class†of tourist to the country. Debauched long-term expats were not part of this vision, so he tried to rid Thailand of people like Bob Sexer entirely. This report from The Nation in October 2003 tells the story: Immigration lawyers say they have received many questions from worried foreigners working or living in Thailand. Moreover, numerous websites catering to expatriates living here have been inundated with protests since the increases took effect. Some fees have risen by 400 per cent. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s government implemented increases for both immigration and visa fees on August 26. Furthermore, his government plans to amend work-permit regulations, including a higher minimum-wage requirement for foreign workers. While visa fees had not been increased for almost 20 years, work-permit regulations have been overhauled for the third time in as many years. Asked for the reasons behind the latest changes, the Ministry of Labour said that it was to make it more difficult for foreigners to get into the country. “The changes are also aimed at making it more difficult for foreigners to work in Thailand unless they are really qualified, and are useful for the country and for the Thai people,†said Wirada Yuvaves, the head of the ministry’s office that sets the criteria for approving work permits. So make no mistake: the reason many members of the expat community fear Thaksin’s return is not that they prefer Abhisit and Korn’s technocratic style of governance. And it’s not because they fear a reprise of the war on drugs. It’s naked self-interest, plain and simple. So if that overweight Englishman with the prison tats squirms uncomfortably whenever Yingluck Shinawatra appears on the TV screen, you know why. If there’s one thing that scares an addict, it’s having his drug taken away. Dan Waites can be contacted via jamesdanielwaites@gmail.com or please follow him on twitter @danwaites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Visas is a bitch but having the bars close early was the real bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HonoluluJimmy Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Rubbish.. Most sexpats may feel he refused to indulge in the pervsions. I am and EXPAT and don't lump all expats into the minority as sexpats. I like H.E. Pol Lt col. Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra.. He helped the poor and the current crew only help themselves. OK. Politicksters and their relathives abound everywhere. Thailand is no different. Let the people vote and the Army stay in the Barraks... I hope the reds win and my true lub and total darling Yingluk steps aside! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 So Takky wanted to attract a better class of tourists and thus raised the fees etc so drastically. Then why didn't the effing SOB raise university salaries to a decent figure? When the gummint decided Farangs needed at least 60,000 a month to live, one of my colleagues excitedly remarked, "That means they'll have to increase our pay!" Well, no ... when the "powers that be" realised they weren't paying lecturers even half of that, all teachers were exempted (until they retire when it does apply)! Let Takky stay in the desert where he belongs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coss Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 I'm not complaining, and I'm glad this has been posted, because: I am positive I posted this too at 19/05/2011 12:40. I know I did. The board must be flakey some times. Roll on the new software! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Hi, You did, and I deleted it - rather than this version/thread - because this thread had a reply already. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave32 Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Poor fella sounds like he has some anger issues. Hope he gets it sorted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 He has a mind like a game of pong, jumps all over the place. He harps on about Bob Sexer, which I have no problem with (seen enough of the type). But then he insists they work in boiler rooms or sell drugs. He also calls Bob a pimp, which is a restricted occupation. As to Box Sexer teaching English, unfortunately the (percieved) need is high enough that unqualified folks can slip under the government requirements by working for an agency rather than a school. But from what I've seen, Bob Sexer more often than not has an outside income sufficient to enable him to spend the rest of his life living in Pattaya shagging cheap hookers. No real need to work. Call him a randy whoremonger if you will, but a drug dealer? A pimp? The real Bob is causing no harm to anyone other than possibly himself. Wonder what sent the writer off on his rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coss Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Hi, You did, and I deleted it - rather than this version/thread - because this thread had a reply already. Sanuk! no worries confused I was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Isn't that your normal state? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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