Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia - Magnets For Scum?

Boon Mee, on Mar 20 2006, 02:58 PM, said:

If this stuff bothers you, you definitely don't want to live here. The whole place is crawling with Farang scumbags and always has been. That is part of what makes the place interesting.
On top of that, in fact, I would venture to say that many of our internet buddies that go on and on about killing all child molesters and how they are married and not interested in hookers - claim they are here for the culture - are totally full of crap.
How many of you remember the Moderator on another web site who turned out to have a record of molesting children? He was quite outspoken about giving them all the electric chair.
I, and half of Chiang Mai knew who the guy really was, and that he was involved in a bunch of bogus business deals as well, but I had no proof that any of this was true, so I wasn't going to throw the first stone.
I would have gotten banned if I had.

He was let go if I recall Georgie. <_<

After he got thrown out of the country.

Mandrake, on Mar 20 2006, 06:50 AM, said:

Mandrake,
1-
Let me say something about so-called charitable organisations, NGO's and similars...
I mistrust them all.

Many of them are far away to be called serious, they are claiming to do all, what they can do for poor misused children, beaten-up women and so on...in reality, these organisations care only about themselves, they are very very corrupted.

To give you one example, in Eastern Europe, Romania, an US-organisation with a branch office in Vienna collected USD 14.000,- and only USD 500,- arrived at a special selected poor family in return of countless photos of their poverty to promote how much this charity organisation is doing for poor children.
The other USD 13.500,- were spent for hotel parties, airtickets, hotel rooms and similar representation expenses. One of the sponsors was filing a lawsuit accusing the organisation of fraud, so the story came up.

This is not different from what I have seen in SouthEastAsia.
http://www.jkfoto.nl...la/manilla.html
This link will show you children, who receive NOTHING.
These children do not know anything about such charitable organisations, and the government itself is also doing NOTHING - no accomodation, no school, even no medical care...

2-
About misuse of children, women and so on: This was long long ago existing before, without the foreigners, who are now living somewhere in Thailand, Cambodia or Philippines.

To blame are not the foreigners, but the local governments, which are at least at the same criminal level as some 'useless' visitors from abroad.

3-
In all these countries, ordinary people would be considerable poorer off without these foreigners.
In Thailand for sure! Of course, some of these foreigners are criminals, but the huge number of these tourists, expats and others bring money in for the benefit of Thailand. - No doubt about it.

4-
About helping poor children:
My opinion: If you really want to help children in Cambodia or elsewhere, do not use any organisation - worthless.
I have my own personal experiences about Philippines, as I am taking care since over 3 years for such a helpless child.

Go there yourself, choose a child, who deserves it, and help directly. I know, that all money I sent, was used for paying accomodation, clothings, food, medical care, school and so on...

About website, yes, I have my own one about it, I do not need these organisations for that.
http://www2.gol.com/...ann/i/divi.html

Yohan, thank you for the above post. So many of these NGOs and UN type organisations who claim to help are very, very corrupt and wasteful. I would never give a dime to any organisation that is attached to the United Nations (Unicef) or the Red Cross (My mother told me that when her uncle was in WWII, he was injured in a submarine accident. After he was released from the care of the Red Cross, he received a bill for
medical care from them. He was so upset that he threw it in the bin and vowed to never donate a penny to them ever again). Too much of the money that is given to these organisations goes to administration, hotel bills, parties, ribbon cuttings, and executive expense accounts and very little actually goes to the people who need it. Sorry I'm off topic. It's just a very sore point with me.

Mandrake, on Mar 20 2006, 10:13 AM, said:

[color="#6600CC"]I can understand your anger here. I here way too many jokes and stories on TV shows and radio shows geared towards the working class that talk about the whores of Thailand. So, I wonder how many of these fans then go looking into traveling there, sad.[/color]

Boon Mee, on Mar 20 2006, 03:58 PM, said:

[color="#6600CC"]I agree. If not a G.G.C. then just a plain ole a$$hole that I would not talk to back in the states. What my wife goes through as a waitress here in Yankland is enough to make my hair stand on end, I can onlt wonder what Thai people have to put up with in their own country.[/color]

Georgie-Porgie, on Mar 20 2006, 08:37 PM, said:

[color="#6600CC"]I would not say that. I myself am working towards a history PHD in S.E.A. and I want to go there for the culture, I want to do on site research for publication. So, the number of people that really want to see the culture may be few but there are some.[/color]

Quote

rocket scientist, a rapist, a banker, a forklift operater, a teacher, a retired alcoholic, a fat bastard, a homosexual, a family man or even a billionaire. You just never know until you talk to them.

Georgie-Porgie, on Mar 20 2006, 08:37 PM, said:

[color="#FF6666"]Many[/color], does not mean ALL!

'Multi-tasking' is a catch phrase that I have often heard.

mbkudu, on Mar 21 2006, 02:59 AM, said:

Let me add something, mdkudu:
You are not off topic at all, read Mandrake's #1 posting, the first line....

Quote

Often organizations as mentioned above are working as a heaven for tax evasion of rich people, for example they have USD 1000,- and USD 800,- would be taken away because of high taxes. So they pay it to a charity (where they themselves are members), which in return is organizing (tax-deductable) 'help for poor people' - which means hotel dinners, golf meetings and finally a trip to that impoverished country (where they stay in 5-star hotels)...somewhat like 'vacation'

This is my experience about Philippines, but for sure it will not be much different in Cambodia.
I think, not more than 5 percent of the budget is arriving for the benefit of 'some carefully selected persons'.

In some cases in the Philippines relatives of the house-maid or the driver of a local politician were some of the receivers - very important is the willingness of such a poor person (who is poor, but is not presenting the the lowest poverty bottom level of that country) to assist with photo-shots and video-recordings in return, which might later be published for propaganda.

My foster daughter was for sure 'one of the poorest' but she never received a single peso from NGOs and similar institutions - same is true for all the other children (over 2000), who are living in the same village compound (4000 adults).

How is the situation for these children at this moment: (Canduman, Manaue, Cebu)

1- medical help is not free, either somebody pays or the child dies
2- elementary school is not free, either somebody pays or the child is not going to school
3- housing is not free, either somebody pays rent or the child is homeless (street children)
4- drinking water, toilet, shower, clothings - either somebody pays for that or the child is totally dirty, sick and even naked...
5- food - either somebody pays for food or the child is suffering from malnutrition - a beggar child...

Help from any organization, public or privat = zero

The only government office, showing up in my case was the tax office, because I paid for a tiny landplot for use of the Philippine foster-mother (who is also totally impoverished) with an old desolate little house on it (32 sqm), to make sure, that nobody can show up collecting unreasonable rent. It was about USD 2200,-.
Taxes and transfer fees, despite it was on government land for sale and declared as 'housing for the poor' and located in a miserable area was a remarkable USD 800,- makes it a total of USD 3000,-.

The average income in that area is not more than USD 30,- to USD 80,- per month for most of the people living there, if they have any job.
The invoice of the elementary school I received, was USD 200,- for one year (65 children in one basic room)

About the topic: Abuse by foreigners...etc...

Quote

Let me say the following: If somebody needs really help, they will accept ANY assistance - even an internet-link to this forum here. - especially because this is not a local forum, but a forum, where you could talk to foreigners. Most abuse is not done by the foreigners, but by the locals. Every child there knows that, and every child is hoping for any foreign sponsorship.

If such a 'charitable organisation' is refusing to communicate with you, Mandrake, then forget it quickly. It is worthless.

Georgie-Porgie, on Mar 21 2006, 09:33 AM, said:

Okay, I took it too literal, sorry.

Most annoying are those working class english that congregate in Pattaya mainly ,due spend their gyro or pensions drinking and shagging themselves to death.
That's one ,but the worst thing is their constant whining about,roads,traffic,infrastructure,people, etc etc
The letters to ed in the pattaya mail should be called the whiners weekly.

Tingtong - I agree letters from whingers is best way to describe. (mostly concerning baht buses)

Hi, Tingtong:

You wrote:

"Thats one ,but the worst thing is their constant whining about,roads,traffic,infrastructure,people, etc etc The letters to ed in the pattaya mail should be called the whiners weekly."

You certainly have a completely valid point when the person really has no beef, especially if his secret reason for writing the letter to the editor is vanity -- to see himself in print.

That said, is there no time a foreigner who has made his life in Country X -- not just Thailand -- might not care enough about something or the other in that country to express an opinion, including a complaint, simply because he *is* foreign?

Take, for instance, the current impasse between the Prime Minister and his opponents. I have a web site about Thailand on which I write a regular column, and I've been in Thailand nearly 12 years, upwards of 20 years in Asia overall. Of course the political debate is for the Thai people to settle on their own. That doesn't mean I haven't written, more than once, that I sure hope they can find a satisfactory, peaceful resolution.

I realize one's own Internet column is scarcely the same thing as a letter to the editor, but the underlying purpose can be. I'm expressing a concern for the place I have chosen to live -- *without* sticking my big nose into that land's domestic affairs. Sure, I have my opinions of those, too -- but those are mine as a foreigner, and as such, they don't mean anything at all.

Mandrake, this is a great discussion thread!

Thaibebop, on Mar 20 2006, 10:40 AM, said:

[color="#990000"]TBB, where exactly do you live?

I have to concur about hearing too much on TV or movies about Thai whores etc etc. The movie "Ace Bigelow, American Gigalo" or whatever it was called is just one example. I never remember the subject of Thai prostitutes being so relevant in movies before but it has been getting much worse. Why was all this attention being placed on this all of a sudden is beyond me. This goes back to a question I have been asking myself for a few years now. The question is why do I see so many more farang coming to SEA now than in the past? I started my travels to LOS in 1997. The sheer amount of farang visitors just in the past 3 years has gotten much larger. Is it because all this extra attention SEA prostitution is getting in the media?

Without a doubt men of all races flock to SEA for paid sex. Its cheaper than a lot of places and SEA is usually pretty safe. So is SEA a magent for scum? I would have to say it is. That doesnt mean all the people going there for paid sex are scum. Just a portion of them. The GC types. These people can come from anywhere too.

The fact is that SEA has long had a reputation for lawlessness and that reputation is enhanced in the movies and has been for a long time. (Anyone remember The Deer Hunter?) The seedy activities going on in SEA, whatever they may be, have been going on there long before any of us were even alive. They will continue long after we are gone. As long as it continues, less than desirable people will always come here.[/color]

MekhongKurt, on Mar 21 2006, 08:40 PM, said:

if i can be presumptuous enough to jump in and answer your point. i dont think either of the above posters are talking about the people to whom you refer.

i find the whingers boring and irritating as well. However when i complain about them, i dont pretend to care about their welfare. These guys dress up their constant bitching, sniping and bitterness as somehow being about how much they 'concerned' for the country etc. bs.

the best thing for them is to just keep their opnions on stickman where they can all indulge in a circle jerk thinking about how wonderful they are compared to asians in general and thais in particular.

anyway, nowhere is perfect, i think a sense of perspective is required, which is something i rarely see in these whingers. their dislike is purely subjective. i work in the usa quite often and i dont like the place, its not that bad, i just think its over rated. mind you i am only talking about some cities in louisiana, alabama and texas. no idea what the rest of the country is like.

these guys would leave if they could booze and sex and a sense of superiority in some other country. only thailand is tolerant enough to actually give them something for their money, they dont know how well off they are.

TRIPxCORE, on Mar 22 2006, 10:07 AM, said:

[color="#009900"]Kansas City. I would like to saw MO (that is where I am from) but I lived in a suburb on the Kansas side of the city called Overland Park.[/color]

Don't recall any movies about Thai prostitution? Only Vietnam if truth be told.... ie Full Metal Jacket. Prob more, but this is the only one that stands out in my mind.

britmaveric, on Mar 22 2006, 06:37 PM, said:

It is actually quite common in Thai movies but I also do not really remember a western movie about Thai prostitution.
And Vietnamese prostitution is mostly in movies about the Vietnam war.