SEX IN THE OLD CITY
This very well-written Bangkok Post article offers an insight into a world unseen by those haunting the usual nightlife areas.
By SUPOJ WANCHAROEN
Down the quiet alleys and small sois of Bangkok’s old town in the Rattanakosin area, Orn and Kae, both in their early 20s, hang around in the shade of the hot afternoon waiting for customers. They are both prostitutes.
Orn and Kae, not their real names, came to Bangkok from different parts of the country and are among some 300 other male and female prostitutes working the streets in this area of small sois and winding roads not far from Sanam Luang.
The area covers two square kilometres around the canal near the statue of Mother Earth to the Phraeng Sapphasat area, not far from City Hall, in Phra Nakhon district.
Bangkok has long had an international reputation for its garish and often seedy night-time sex trade. But little is known outside of Thailand of the other forms of prostitution that are common, not just in the capital, but throughout the country.
Massage parlours, saunas and karaoke joints across the country all double as places for men to go to where they can pay for sex. But self-employed prostitutes plying their trade on the streets of the capital in the middle of the afternoon may not be common knowledge.
The number of daytime prostitutes is particularly high near local jingreed motels, or ‘’no-tell motels'’ that rent rooms by the hour.
‘’This has gone on for years,'’ said a passenger van operator, who parks his vehicle near the Royal Hotel.
‘’The service is available around the clock, it’s convenient just like going to visit a 7-Eleven,'’ said an unnemd the operator.
The prostitutes around Rattanakosin range from their early-20s to women in their 50s. Most stand or sit around in colourful, body-hugging outfits, painted up with heavy make-up which helps them stand out from the commuters and shoppers going about their day. They try to make eye contact with prospective customers, giving them alluring smiles to let them know they are available.
On certain streets in the area you can also see young men hanging around, seemingly aimlessly. They are often male prostitutes, but are more common at night.
Orn, a Buri Ram native, said she mostly hangs around Bun Siri road from late morning to late afternoon. She says it’s a prime location, close to tourist attrac tions and government offices.
‘’My regular customers are those accustomed to the area. Some are state officials working nearby.” Kei, 24, often waits for her customers at Phraeng Sapphasat road.
Unlike Orn who migrated to the capital, Kei is a resident in a community not far from the road. She chooses to work here because it is near her home she says _ the opposite to Orn, who lives in another part of Bangkok and says she comes to work in the Rattanakosin area because it’s far away from her house which makes it unlikely that she will be seen by her neighbours.
‘’A good part of it is I don’t need to pay commission fees here.'’ Orn normally charges each customer 300 baht an hour and gets one or two customers a day, most of whom are office workers.
For her own safety though, she tries to avoid people who look ‘’unclean'’ or are homeless or drunks.
Orn came to Bangkok years ago, but did not plan on becoming a prostitute. When she first arrived, she opened a small som tam papaya salad shop but the business failed. Since then, she has been earning a living as a prostitute.
Kei, on the other hand, is a single mother and says it is the only way she knows how to make enough money for her and her child.
‘’I don’t earn much, but it’s better than not doing anything.”
While some may feel sorry for the women who are working in what can often be a dangerous and unglamorous job, many residents in the area lost their sympathy for them a long time ago. These locals feel the women have tarnished the image of their neighbourhood, and they just want them to go.
‘’Sometimes, I am reluctant to tell people where I live. I feel really ashamed,'’ said one shop owner.
The residents say they have continually called on the authorities to crack down on the prostitution in the area, but nothing ever comes of it. The authorities are too lenient in law enforcement. Phra Nakhon district chief Bawornpat Boontanatat admitted officials were well aware of the prostitution problem that has been around for more than a decade, but he said there was little they could do about it.
‘’It’s difficult to solve,'’ he said. ‘’The law only allow us to fine them. After paying the fines, they often return to the streets.'’
He said some of the prostitutes were ‘’professionals'’ while others were just housewives looking to make some extra money.
But there are efforts to try and help these women get off the Rattanakosin streets, as well as officials that work to ensure they don’t contract sexually-transmitted diseases.
The district office coordinates with health officials who monitor the women’s health.
The same local officials have also launched a vocational training scheme for some of the women. They hope that with new skills, young women like Orn and Kae can forsake the streets and turn to a less dangerous way to make a living.
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