A young girl working as a Thai prostitute shares her story

[Mr Lucky]

The little box to the side of the BBC article states: "Estimates of the number of sex workers vary from 30,000 to more than a million"

The CIA Factbook says there are 22million women between the ages of 15 and 65 in Thailand. If we took the BBC's numbers seriously, that would mean 1 in 22 Thai women is a prostitute.

Wow! I guess those guys who go around propositioning girls in shopping malls are in the right after all.

And since they say "Most prostitutes come from northern Thailand," (they probably meant 'northeast'), that would make 1 in 10 Isaan girls a prostitute - equal to the number working in factories and 1/3 of the number working in the service industry.

Glaring flaws like this really erode the credibility of the BBC. The media forgets that credibility is all they really have to sell - one day it's going to come back and bite them in the a**.

This article was a pathetic piece of journalism. Only one person interviewed, and it failed to address the root cause of the issue: the huge economic disparity in Thailand.

Though one point it brought up is something that always bugged me: "[The girls] have to meet a quota of at least 10 customers a month, or wages will be cut."
- I actually think this practice is pretty harsh. I wish bar owners could find a way to turn a profit without this sort of quota. If you require your girls to meet a customer quota, technically you're a pimp.

[Tommychrk]

Originally Posted by RobRoy

I have the feeling, FT, that the worst pimps in LOS are the girls' own families.

There is a saying about this: The biggest pimp in LOS is the mother.

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

Though one point it brought up is something that always bugged me: "[The girls] have to meet a quota of at least 10 customers a month, or wages will be cut."
- I actually think this practice is pretty harsh. I wish bar owners could find a way to turn a profit without this sort of quota. If you require your girls to meet a customer quota, technically you're a pimp.

She described the way it is in Nana Plaza gogo bars. But it is not that way in beer bars. What about gogos in other places such as Soi Cowboy or Patong? I'm sure this girl could have worked in a beer bar if she wanted to not have to deal with the quota. But she chose getting a salary, and working in the relative safety of ST rooms. Few beer bar girls get a salary, IINM, and they have to go with guys to a hotel, if they really want to earn the good money. Still, it is up to them, as the beer bar owner will not require that they go with men. Once again, she made her choices.

Interestingly enough, in Cambodia, most of the girls in the ladybars do not go with men, except for the brothel bars like Mikado and Le Cyrcee, where they are all begging you to take them upstairs. A former manager of Shanghai Club, probably the biggest ladybar in Phnom Penh, told me that out of 50 girls working there, only 8 to 10 of them will allow you to BF them for a trip to your room. Most of the girls I met in the PP beer bars, some of then real beauties and great fun girls, are happy to make their $2 per day beer bar salary, plus commissions on drinks, and the odd tip. And, what is most amazing is that they rarely even ask you to buy them a drink, although they are happy to have one if offered to them! They could make ten times more money by going to your hotel, and/or hustling you for drinks. But they don't. They have a choice, and most choose not to, and they are happy with their choice. They could say I have to choose to go with men, because I make very little money, otherwise, so I am forced to go with men. But most don't. Instead of whining and making excuses, they make the choice they feel good about, and are happy with it. I have a lot of respect for those girls, who, in my mind, expose the lie we hear so often, that the girls are forced into a life of prostitution.

[So-cal]

Originally Posted by Nautilus

Interview by Kate McGeown, BBC News, Bangkok.

Life as a Thai sex worker

Bangkok is a notorious destination for sex tourism. But the lives of many of the city's sex workers are full of danger, disease and the urgent need to send money home. Pim, who recently left her job in a go-go bar, has a typical story.
"I grew up in the countryside in Phetchabun, northern Thailand. My parents were farmers and I helped them in the fields. We were poor but we always had enough to get by.

When I was about 15, my family fell apart. My father always drank a lot, but it became worse and worse, and he started becoming violent. So my mother, sister and I moved out.
I wanted to study to become a nurse, but when my parents split up I had to leave school and find work as a day labourer, harvesting crops for local farmers. I didn't like it much, and it only paid 100 baht ($3) a day. At about that time a good friend moved to Bangkok, and when she came back to visit she told me she was earning a lot of money there as a waitress.

There was gossip in the village that she was doing something other than waitressing, as she was sending 10,000 baht ($300) home a month, but she always denied it.

She asked me to come with her, but at the time I was still 16 and too scared. A few years later, though - when I had given birth to my daughter, and my husband and I had separated - I changed my mind.
I left the baby in Phetchabun with my mother, and told her I needed to earn some money in Bangkok. But I didn't tell her what I was doing - I still haven't. She'd be so ashamed.
'Can I do this?'
When my friend took me to a bar in Nana Plaza for the first time, I was really shocked. I'd never been to a place like that before, and at the beginning I didn't even know what the dancers were doing.
When I finally realized, I couldn't take it and I walked out of the bar. I kept thinking 'Can I really do this?'
Initially I decided to work there just serving drinks, but the dancers earned a lot more money, and eventually I agreed to do that too. For the first month, the bar owners allow girls to get their full salary even if they just work as dancers. But after that you have to meet a quota of at least 10 customers a month, or your wages will be cut.


My first customer was a Western man in his 30s. It was scary and I really didn't like it, but I just kept thinking about the money.
I couldn't wait for him to leave, and when he did I had a shower for a very long time. I started crying, and thought about what my parents would think if they knew what I was doing.
None of my customers ever asked me about my life; they didn't care. There was one time a guy asked me if I was okay, but I didn't know what to say, so I just looked away.
While I was working in the bars, I was often worried about disease, and also about safety. Some girls earned extra by going out of the bars with the men, but I always used a room upstairs as I was too scared of the risks involved.
My friend once went with a guy to his hotel room, and found lots of other men there too. She wouldn't tell me what happened after that, but she was shaking for a long time when she got back home.
I also had some scary experiences myself. One time a Japanese man followed me all the way home at the end of the night, and he kept screaming at me.
Taxi drivers can also be threatening to bar girls, and we would only dare go home in groups.
Looking forward
Despite these problems, new girls often arrive. Many customers prefer children or young girls, and the bar owners always encouraged us to recruit teenagers from our home villages. Even though I got used to it in some ways, I always hated working in the bars. I made some good friends but there was nothing good about the life I was leading.

I felt good about sending money home, but I didn't feel good about myself. Soon I was getting penalized as I wasn't getting enough customers.

That's when a friend of mine told me about Nightlight [a Christian charity offering training and employment for former sex workers, through a jewellery-making business].
Since I've started working there, my life is so much better. I don't earn as much as I did in the bars, but it's worth it, and people here listen to me and care for me.
I've now got the opportunity to look forward in life. I want to finish school, and study accounting, so I'll be able to pay for my daughter to have a good life.
I wish I had never become a sex worker. I think some foreign men think it's okay to pay for sex here in Thailand, as they think the girls actually want to do this. But these men don't understand that most of us have no choice - we're just trying to earn money for our families, and waiting for a chance to leave.

This story simply focuses on a girl that should never get into the buisness anyway. This job comes natural for slutty or more open minded girls and is not for everyone.

I have seen articles like this about prostitutes in the US that are so called " victoms". Like the girls in las vegas that are making 3000 a week. All they do is party and gamble and do drugs and that is not my fault.

I wish i had the option of being a prostitute if i needed some extra bucks.

[So-cal]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Your posts have been from bad to worse..

'deny you that experience' 'of course you exploit women'

Sadly this is the reason articles like this have some basis in fact.

What dont you understand? In order to get sex in north america you must get a girlfrend that runs your life and thinks she is gods gift to you or you gotta drive an H2 hummer on spinners or a supercharged Vette.

Or pay 200 bucks for a ***** prostitute that treats you like dirt.

Nobody is holding a gun to these girls to be prostitutes and quite frankly, I wish i had the option of being a prostitute if i needed the money like these girls do.

[So-cal]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

Are you actually saying you have never had purely consenual non monetary sex ?? Or only that you were a virgin the first time ??

i did a ****** in newzealand to lose my V. I was 19, got a problem with that?

[Mr Lucky]

Originally Posted by So-cal

In order to get sex in north america you must get a girlfrend that runs your life and thinks she is gods gift to you or you gotta drive an H2 hummer on spinners or a supercharged Vette.

Speak for yourself dude. All the girlfriends I ever had respected me because I ran my own life and rode a bicycle everywhere. And may I say they were freakin' hot girlfriends.

America is full of sexy young girls who let you be yourself.

Maybe your sex problem has another cause.....

[So-cal]

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

Speak for yourself dude. All the girlfriends I ever had respected me because I ran my own life and rode a bicycle everywhere. And may I say they were freakin' hot girlfriends.

America is full of sexy young girls who let you be yourself.

Maybe your sex problem has another cause.....

Anyone can get a girlfrend for sex. I dont want a girlfrend. Pull up to a bar in vancouver with your BMX and see how much you get.

Girlfrends! haha

[Sabajjto]

Always refreshing reading Jaybee's posts !

I doubt were ever gonna see any "MacIntyre Investigates" journalism
on this matter.
After all, that would mean actually interviewing, some of the more
"free spirited" bg's out there, (and a few bf's as well).
Such a piece of journalism could probably be a "career ender".
Especially if you work for BBC.
I'm sure if they aired such an "success story", where the tg shows
her whole arsenal of "poison arrows", taking down her prey, some
eybrows would definitively be lifted back home.

I always had great respect for these "multitasking" femme fatale's.
You have to be a very strong person to endure it, maybe that's
the attraction somehow ?
(Try to get close but not burned)

From a purely financial standpoint, some of these ladies do
very well indeed.

I have plenty of "look tung" material in my past experiences also.
As a matter of fact, I have enough material to make a whole CD...

It seems somehow, in the Thai tradition,
(If you study "look tung" songs and Thai TV),
women here are very attracted to drama and tragedy.
On the one hand you have the strong chauvnistic Thai male, and the other,
the always worried female, keeping her husband away from his "mia noi's".
Drama drama !
9 times out of 10, the woman will choose the wealthy old guy, in favor of her
"childhood love rice farmer", cause it's the right thing to do ?

Throw in a farang in that mix, and I can assure you sparks will fly !

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by So-cal

What dont you understand? In order to get sex in north america you must get a girlfrend that runs your life and thinks she is gods gift to you or you gotta drive an H2 hummer on spinners or a supercharged Vette.

Or pay 200 bucks for a ***** prostitute that treats you like dirt.

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

Speak for yourself dude. All the girlfriends I ever had respected me because I ran my own life and rode a bicycle everywhere. And may I say they were freakin' hot girlfriends.

America is full of sexy young girls who let you be yourself.

Maybe your sex problem has another cause.....

You guys both make legitimate points. It's two sides of the same coin. When I was in high school and college, I had loads of pretty GFs. But I also started a rock band, and was a decent-looking guy. Even then, to get GFs who were better than stupid bimbo groupies, I had to be smart enough and sensitive enough to be able to play their games, and win or, at least, break even. This sometimes included some serious ass-kissing, and the best ones, invariably, wanted to run my life, at least on days/weeks/months when they were ahead in the game.

I ended up marrying the best of the bunch, a beautiful Italian girl, who started out totally trying to dictate my life, 24/7. She tried to treat me like I was her pet lap dog, there to come when called, and do tricks to amuse her friends, when she commanded. Her looks and the fact that she was an incredible lover, gave her a big edge on me, so I was really tested. It was only after she lost me to other girls numerous times, that she finally came to be under my thumb, and agreed to play by my rules. And that is how she got me. Of course, marriage, kids, and the passage of time eventually changed that. By the time, we divorced, she was back in control and had my head seriously messed up.

Mr. Lucky, you are a smart guy. if you are smart, not bad-looking, sensitive, and willing to play their games, you can really pull some great girls, when you are a young man, athough, even then, your choices will be limited.. If you happen to be very handsome, and have money, then you can call your own tune, and hve the choice of many fantastic girls. There are really some incredible young American women, who are smart, fascinating, terrific companions, and wonderful lovers. If a guy can get that, then why go to LOS? It is the best time of your life, and it's more or less free. And at least, you know where you really stand with the girl, since it is not about the money.

But if you are a pretty average or below average(50% of guys are)guy, with not anything special going for him to attract the best girls, then, unless you are extremely lucky, or happen to like fat and/or ugly girls, then the situation for you is pretty grim, and much as So-cal describes it.

And once you hit 40, then, by default, more or less, you fall into the same miserable situation as the younger avg/below-avg guys. Because older farang women, with very few exceptions, if they are attractive, are very demanding, tend to quickly lay it on the line, as to what conditions are acceptable to them for having a relationship. They are tough negotiators who make little room for compromise. They are very willing to go it alone, if they can't get a guy who will play by their rules, and they make that very clear. They are not at all like young women, many of whom are very sweet. Only guys who are very successful and confident, can avoid this dilemma, because they can still get younger girls, or the few older babes, who haven't become like bitter fruit from an old tree.

Mr. Lucky, you obviously did OK for yourself and had some nice GFs. But the operative word there is had. If you could still do just as well as when you were younger, would you have gone to LOS to find a wife? Going to LOS subtracted 15 yrs m/l off the equation for you. And it is not like you could not do a lot better than the average guy in the US, because, IINM, you are smart, decent-looking(or better), and well-heeled(enough to be able to live 6 mo. in LOS, 6 mo. in the US, which is not an easy trick to turn). Plus, of course, you are "lucky," which is an intangible characteristic, which only a few guys have, but counts every bit as much as looks or money, when it comes to pulling women.

So-cal, on the other hand, seems like a fairly average guy, who was not blessed with the patience, or game-playing skills that it takes to successfully navigate the perilous waters of the US dating scene. He speaks for the plight of the average man, and, although, he is not an eloquent speaker, he is, IMHO, to the point, and on the money. Especially the part about $200 wh*res treating guys like shit!!!

[So-cal]

Originally Posted by JayBee

You guys both make legitimate points. It's two sides of the same coin. When I was in high school and college, I had loads of pretty GFs. But I also started a rock band, and was a decent-looking guy. Even then, to get GFs who were better than stupid bimbo groupies, I had to be smart enough and sensitive enough to be able to play their games, and win or, at least, break even. This sometimes included some serious ass-kissing, and the best ones, invariably, wanted to run my life, at least on days/weeks/months when they were ahead in the game.

I ended up marrying the best of the bunch, a beautiful Italian girl, who started out totally trying to dictate my life, 24/7. She tried to treat me like I was her pet lap dog, there to come when called, and do tricks to amuse her friends, when she commanded. Her looks and the fact that she was an incredible lover, gave her a big edge on me, so I was really tested. It was only after she lost me to other girls numerous times, that she finally came to be under my thumb, and agreed to play by my rules. And that is how she got me. Of course, marriage, kids, and the passage of time eventually changed that. By the time, we divorced, she was back in control and had my head seriously messed up.

Mr. Lucky, you are a smart guy. if you are smart, not bad-looking, sensitive, and willing to play their games, you can really pull some great girls, when you are a young man, athough, even then, your choices will be limited.. If you happen to be very handsome, and have money, then you can call your own tune, and hve the choice of many fantastic girls. There are really some incredible young American women, who are smart, fascinating, terrific companions, and wonderful lovers. If a guy can get that, then why go to LOS? It is the best time of your life, and it's more or less free. And at least, you know where you really stand with the girl, since it is not about the money.

But if you are a pretty average or below average(50% of guys are)guy, with not anything special going for him to attract the best girls, then, unless you are extremely lucky, or happen to like fat and/or ugly girls, then the situation for you is pretty grim, and much as So-cal describes it.

And once you hit 40, then, by default, more or less, you fall into the same miserable situation as the younger avg/below-avg guys. Because older farang women, with very few exceptions, if they are attractive, are very demanding, tend to quickly lay it on the line, as to what conditions are acceptable to them for having a relationship. They are tough negotiators who make little room for compromise. They are very willing to go it alone, if they can't get a guy who will play by their rules, and they make that very clear. They are not at all like young women, many of whom are very sweet. Only guys who are very successful and confident, can avoid this dilemma, because they can still get younger girls, or the few older babes, who haven't become like bitter fruit from an old tree.

Mr. Lucky, you obviously did OK for yourself and had some nice GFs. But the operative word there is had. If you could still do just as well as when you were younger, would you have gone to LOS to find a wife? Going to LOS subtracted 15 yrs m/l off the equation for you. And it is not like you could not do a lot better than the average guy in the US, because, IINM, you are smart, decent-looking(or better), and well-heeled(enough to be able to live 6 mo. in LOS, 6 mo. in the US, which is not an easy trick to turn). Plus, of course, you are "lucky," which is an intangible characteristic, which only a few guys have, but counts every bit as much as looks or money, when it comes to pulling women.

So-cal, on the other hand, seems like a fairly average guy, who was not blessed with the patience, or game-playing skills that it takes to successfully navigate the perilous waters of the US dating scene. He speaks for the plight of the average man, and, although, he is not an eloquent speaker, he is, IMHO, to the point, and on the money. Especially the part about $200 wh*res treating guys like shit!!!

Actually im over 6 feet tall and 190. Im one of those guys that bails out on women after the first few encounters because they take everything too serius. I just want to get laid and im not interested in western womens soap opera BS. It makes me sick.

Not to brag but my family is rich and im just sick of women that try to latch on. At this point all i like is prostitutes and in thailand they give the best service for the money.

[Mr Lucky]

A lot of good, and balanced points here JayBee. And apologies to So-Cal....my post was fuelled by too much Jaegermeister and was ruder than I'd intended.

For what it's worth, my intention was to speak as someone who never found American women to be that bad. Tons of them out there for a no-strings-attached, good time.

Though as you noted, Jaybee, I haven't been hunting in the US since I left nearly ten years ago. Your point about looks/age is probably valid. Though I think looks is a less important matter - if you take good care of yourself and look like you're having more fun than the next guy, girls will gravitate.

Age, I think, is a key difference. In Asia, it's not considered weird for young women to date older guys but, in the US eyebrows are raised for even a five-year difference.

Of course there's the money issue. Ironically, I found the US girls never cared much about it. In Thailand it's much more of an important aspect - but then we all seem to become rich men when we exchange our dollars/euros for baht.

[So-cal]

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

A lot of good, and balanced points here JayBee. And apologies to So-Cal....my post was fuelled by too much Jaegermeister and was ruder than I'd intended.

For what it's worth, my intention was to speak as someone who never found American women to be that bad. Tons of them out there for a no-strings-attached, good time.

Though as you noted, Jaybee, I haven't been hunting in the US since I left nearly ten years ago. Your point about looks/age is probably valid. Though I think looks is a less important matter - if you take good care of yourself and look like you're having more fun than the next guy, girls will gravitate.

Age, I think, is a key difference. In Asia, it's not considered weird for young women to date older guys but, in the US eyebrows are raised for even a five-year difference.

Of course there's the money issue. Ironically, I found the US girls never cared much about it. In Thailand it's much more of an important aspect - but then we all seem to become rich men when we exchange our dollars/euros for baht.

Maybe back when you were my age it was different (im 22). Im going to vegas soon, i like the black girls there. They are fun to deal with and there prices are alwase better then the white girls.

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

Age, I think, is a key difference. In Asia, it's not considered weird for young women to date older guys but, in the US eyebrows are raised for even a five-year difference

There you have it. Traditionally, the age difference was up to ten years, but nowdays, eyebrows are starting to raise at even five. When you pass 40, is when this phenomenon become THE critical factor. Because there are absolutely not "Tons of them out there for a no-strings-attached good time," in the over 40 age bracket, or even the over 35 age bracket. At 30, the numbers began to shift. By 35, the situation is significantly different. At 40 and above, there are some, if not many, still up for the NSA good time, BUT, guess what? Many of them now want to have their good time with guys in their 20's, and very few want guys their age or older. If they only want a good time, and money is not a big factor to them, then they find that younger guys are better equipped, and more energetic, for giving them a good time. Because there are so many young guys who are looking for NSA fun, an attractive lady over 40 finds herself in the position of a kid in a candy shop. They don't have to travel 3000 miles or pay 1000/2000 Baht like us guys, either!

True story - upon my return from my second LOS tour in 2004, a buddy invited me to a party to celebrate his GF's birthday(BTW, he was 40 and his GF, now his wife, was 45, but a looker), and she invited her GF to join, because it was her birthday that week, too. Also, I think I was invited in an attempt to fix me up with her. It was a small, intimate party, and after we all were feeling no pain, we decided to go see a touring band play at a local venue. The GF has just turned 40 or 41. It was obvious she had just had some work done on her face, probably a peel, as it was smooth and unwrinkled, but didn't look natural. Even so, she was a very good-looking lady for her age, and had a ship-shape body. We flirted a bit, but, having just come back from LOS, and feeling very confident, and unimpressed by her, I wasn't willing to kiss up to her, which is the kind of treatment she is used to from guys, since she is a former stunner. She seemed interested in me, but was a little put-off by my nonchalant attitude.

We went to the hall early, since we didn't have tickets yet, bought tickets, and went to the bar next door to kill time before the show. At the bar, she spotted a very young(25 max) guy, very cute, as well. She started giving him coy looks, then "accidentally" bumped into him coming back from the lady's room. Soon, he was parked at our table. She said, "Come to the show with us!" He said he didn't have the money for a ticket. She excused herself, left the bar, returned 5 minutes later and handed him a ticket.

I won't bore you with the rest of the story, except to say that she took her "boytoy" home with her that night, and from the 2nd hand reports I got, she was quite pleased with his perfromance!

That's life in America. The tables have turned, guys.

Originally Posted by Mr Lucky

Of course there's the money issue. Ironically, I found the US girls never cared much about it. In Thailand it's much more of an important aspect - but then we all seem to become rich men when we exchange our dollars/euros for baht.

This is true about most of the young girls, provided you can pull your own weight. Over 30, then women become more conscious of the value of money and the difference it can make in their lifestyle. Women over 40 who are good-looking, and willing to date guys older than them are very, very concerned about a guy's financial status. Because the ones not concerned about money are going for the younger guys, a la Demi Moore, that doesn't leave a whole lot of attractive older gals in the market place, since most of them have long since run up the white flag and surrendered in the battle of the bulge. Consequently, they have their pick of the cream of the crop of the successful guys, who, for one reason or another, are not up to chasing younger women, and have not already left for LOS!

[RobRoy]

Originally Posted by So-cal

What dont you understand? In order to get sex in north america you must get a girlfrend that runs your life and thinks she is gods gift to you or you gotta drive an H2 hummer on spinners or a supercharged Vette.

Or pay 200 bucks for a ***** prostitute that treats you like dirt.

Nobody is holding a gun to these girls to be prostitutes and quite frankly, I wish i had the option of being a prostitute if i needed the money like these girls do.

I've never been to NA, So-cal, and now you've put me right off. Try Germany or Holland for quality service. Also not so cheap but the majority do treat you fairly. And those Russian girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trotter]

Have any of you looked at some of these 'Christian' groups. I have come across a number in Asia who virtually brainwash their flock. If they were like the Church of England I'd be ok but a number are fundamentalist groups who have an absolute belief in the Bible including the Old Testement. I've had conversations with some girls who have got involved where they are adamant that Genesis 1 is correct and the world was created about 5,000 years ago in a week. (OK 6 days to you pedants) They have been told that fossils and dinosaurs are either a conspiracy to fool us all by scientists or a joke by God. I'd like to see an expose on some of their activities and beliefs. The ridiculous thing is that there are schools in the Uk who teach this too.

[RobRoy]

Originally Posted by Trotter

Have any of you looked at some of these 'Christian' groups. I have come across a number in Asia who virtually brainwash their flock. If they were like the Church of England I'd be ok but a number are fundamentalist groups who have an absolute belief in the Bible including the Old Testement. I've had conversations with some girls who have got involved where they are adamant that Genesis 1 is correct and the world was created about 5,000 years ago in a week. (OK 6 days to you pedants) They have been told that fossils and dinosaurs are either a conspiracy to fool us all by scientists or a joke by God. I'd like to see an expose on some of their activities and beliefs. The ridiculous thing is that there are schools in the Uk who teach this too.

Re. your interest in fossils and dinosaurs, check out some of the long stay types in LOS, all life is there.

[LivinLOS]

Originally Posted by So-cal

i did a ****** in newzealand to lose my V. I was 19, got a problem with that?

And are you saying you have never had sex without paying.. As per the OP..