Thailand's 700,000 Prostitutes Now Have Their Own Newspaper

by Richard S. Ehrlich

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Internationally known for their image of sexy decadence, Thailand's 700,000 prostitutes now have, for the first time, their own newspaper published by a women's rights group to show bargirls how to escape the world's oldest profession.

"Poverty pushes women into prostitution," said Chantawipa Apisook, head of Empower, a women's rights organization which started the newspaper.

"They can't find jobs in rural provinces. Most have never been to primary school past the fourth grade. They can't qualify for any jobs. So they come to Bangkok to work in the sex entertainment area," Ms. Chantawipa said in an interview, sitting at her desk in Empower's cramped, one-room office.

"Everyone realizes these are problems, but not many people care about these girls. There are government programs to convince women not to leave their villages. But those incentives are less than the urban incentives of a possible good job.

"We are talking about 700,000 prostitutes in Thailand, one million if you include those working abroad. Whether they are being prevented or punished, no one is protecting them as human beings. We try to rebuild their self-pride and help them regain control of their lives."

To do this, Empower published in July its first free, four-page, two-color newspaper, written mostly in Thai language with a smattering of English.

Now, more than six months later, Empower is still publishing whenever it can scrape up enough money.

The newspaper is called "Patpong," named after Bangkok's lust-filled nightclub district on popular Patpong Road.

The paper's ultimate aim is to educate prostitutes about legal rights, minimum wage laws, health care and other work-related issues, and lead them to better jobs.

Ms. Chantawipa, born November 20, 1947, is still moving cautiously in terms of editorial content because she fears a negative reaction from bar owners and others who profit from ladies of the night.

Thus, the paper concentrates on inspiring bargirls to learn English so they can earn more money from customers and become financially independent.

For example, a front page a cartoon titled, "Honey Bee," shows a prostitute in a green miniskirt, plunging neckline and high heels, standing in front of a bar and saying to a moustached foreigner, "Good evening, sir! Welcome in, no cover charge."

The foreigner asks, "Hello, dear, do you want to sit with me?"

Honey Bee replies, "Yes, of course."

"What do you want to drink?" he says.

She answers, "A glass of beer, please."

Underneath the cartoon, the English phrases are explained in Thai.

The text adds, "Honey Bee is the name of a little girl in Patpong. This girl is interested in learning English."

The paper invites readers to come to Empower's nearby office and learn English for only 20 U.S. cents per person -- but only if they are prostitutes.

Ms. Chantawipa says she has a handful of students.

Patpong's night life is famous among travelers throughout the world, and hundreds of thousands of men flock to Thailand to gawk and carouse on the neon-coated street which boasts some of the city's finest restaurants, nightclubs, and discos.

For tourists seeking the unusual, onstage in the crowded Queen's Castle Bar two unclad girls use part of their anatomy to smoke cigarettes, play toy whistles, shoot darts at balloons and perform other bizarre stunts.

Next door at the Firecat Bar, girls strip to the bumping blare of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and try to seduce customers into taking them home.

Tourism Authority of Thailand official Opas Lertamphai hopes to change the nation's naughty image.

"The solution lies in strict law enforcement" against prostitution, which is illegal, Opas says.

But Dr. Yupha Udomsak, Chairman of the House Committee on Culture and Tourism, worries the law cannot be enforced.

In some resorts "officials simply do not touch such illegal deeds for the excuse that it's a tourist spot," Yupha said.

During the U.S.-Vietnam War, Patpong Road rapidly evolved as a center of "rest and recreation" for American troops.

After the war, Patpong was threatened with financial ruin, but was able to lure international tourists who turned the street into its current prosperous hive of activity.

Or, as the Patpong newspaper says in Thai: "Patpong Road is very famous even far away, or maybe you can say people around the world know this road very well. This place is very, very happy and it is difficult to find a place like this anywhere else.

"There is a lot of money in Patpong. A lot of foreigners from different countries come only to see Patpong."

"From all countries, America, Germany, Japan, and the Middle East, they say, 'Oh! I know that place.' They are old customers. Some tourists say, 'I have never been to Bangkok, but I've been to Patpong!'

"There are many lives in Patpong and different people, so look at Patpong with new eyes. Patpong is not only for enjoying sex, because the girls have real lives. Not many people understand this."

The paper then gives an example by telling the story of Sia, a 22-year-old divorced mother, who works as a bartender in one of the bars.

"I have a lot of customers every night," she is quoted as saying.

"I finished my college education in commerce and now I study law at Ramkhamhang University."

The paper reports Sia's mother also worked in Patpong.

Sia says, "I will teach my daughter when she grows up and let her work in Patpong like my mother and I did."

The paper then asks: "Do you believe this? Because the grandmother worked here, the mother now works here. And what about her daughter? Will she work here or not? What is her future? Who'll answer this question?"

Ms. Chantawipa says prostitutes' biggest problems occur because they are scorned by Thai society.

"When women work in the sex entertainment business, they are told they are criminals, victims of society, and called many names such as hookers and chickens" and thus form a weak self-concept.

"We can search and work with prostitutes to find alternative ways of living, teach them English to help them control their economic situation.

"If she speaks well, she can get a little more than those who can't, or she can change to become a waitress and won't be exploited as easily by foreign customers which also happens."

Officials estimate Bangkok and the nearby beach resort of Pattaya host more than 9,000 brothels, 4,000 bars, 2,500 "sex entertainment" places, and 1,500 massage parlors.

Though exact figures are elusive, officials estimate prostitution brings an annual cash flow of about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars.

Profiteers include bar owners, corrupt police, pimps, landlords and traffickers who visit rural villages and lure girls to Bangkok.

Many of Bangkok's bars are owned by foreigners.

A girl's price ranges from 2.50 to 20 U.S. dollars an hour, depending if they are working in the slums of Chinatown or in Patpong's flashier nightclubs and if the customer is a local or a foreigner.

Because their work is very competitive, Patpong girls earn only an average of about 86 U.S. dollars a month, Ms. Chantawipa said.

One such girl is Noy, a prostitute who started working on Patpong eight months ago.

Looking up from reading the newspaper, Noy said, "I hate working on Patpong but I cannot find any other work and my mother beats me if I don't bring home any money."

Her forearms are scarred with razor blade slashing from repeated suicide attempts.

Noy, 20, said if she cannot find better work she will try to kill herself again.

She then copied down the newspaper's telephone number offering English lessons. "I will call them tomorrow."

Copyright by Richard S. Ehrlich

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