Western media on both sides of the English speaking world had a field day laying into Pattaya following the “startling revelations” of the bust at the “sex orgy” in the resort at the weekend.
But most of the reports were the usual predictable hyperbolic nonsense when it comes to those trying to sell sensation to the lovers of luridness.
Those who enjoy having a go at Thailand when they should be looking at what happens in their own back yard.
Australia led the way with rehashed stories about sex and sleaze full of patent errors and generalizations that would make most residents of Thailand – and especially those in Pattaya – ask: This is news?! and why not at least try to get your facts straight?
News.com.au said that Pattaya is a “sun-soaked slice of paradise by day” and a “sleazy den” at night that Thai government crackdowns can’t seem to stop.
Yeh, guys, like they actually want to. We think you might have been listening to a few too many pronouncements from retired tourism ministers who suggested such nonsense to try and justify their jobs.
As if on cue that particular media then quoted the aforementioned Kobkarn Wattanavarankul – ex minister of tourism and sports – as saying that Thailand was going to end the sex industry.
The Aussies just printed them verbatim as if they had done their own research!
Try and get some new quotes next time – the tourism minister now is called Weerasak Kowsurat. He speaks English; I am sure he’d help if you are interested in getting some further information. You can catch him on Messenger.
You could also try actually coming here to see for yourself. Planes leave Sydney and Melbourne every day bound for Bangkok – you’ll find it on a map to the top left of Darwin. Pattaya is a couple of inches to the right.
The Daily Mail of Australia then piped up trying to outdo The Daily Mail of the United Kingdom (who it is rumored printed a fact in 1983).
The Aussie version of “fake news” told us gleefully that Brits were among those arrested at the Tulip Hotel. Not quite true according to all the reports in Thailand – there were none from the old country on this occasion.
But we know how much you like to get your leg over the Brits especially after your cricket captain was caught cheating then sniveling on TV.
Admittedly, the Brits have been responsible for some mischief in Thailand but this “orgy in the darkness” was, in language you might understand
“Not the Last Night of the Poms”.
On a more minor point Thailand does not have “District Sheriffs” and you might like to check the spelling of the surname of Naris, the district chief. Those of us who report and actually go to Pattaya try to get this stuff right.
Both of the Aussie media sources came up with the startling news that “police connivance” allows Pattaya to operate.
Gosh! You nearly lost me there….I was dropping off losing the will to live with all the excitement of your fresh revelations.
Meanwhile The Sun in England at least saw there was absolutely no news value in the orgy story. Perhaps they understood like most sensible people that the party was merely a bit of swinging among consenting adults. Virtually everyone was released because they had committed no crime.
OK, one guy was doing tested positive for drugs and another was on overstay – but as anyone knows in Thailand that was all incidental to the real story behind the bust.
That it was an illegal hotel without a license – with the Chinese owner who had undoubtedly upset some less than upstanding officials with a delayed payment or two.
So well done on The Sun to spot that there was nothing newsworthy there.
However, they used the opportunity to print a largely unsubstantiated story about “fresh out of school virgins and lady boys” on tap for middle aged Brits in Pattaya.
Putting aside the feeling that the “up to date” snaps of Pattaya looked like file photos from the Edwardian era, it also appears that those fresh out of school virgins must have continued their education to the age of about 40 and got some great tattoos in art lessons.
We were also told that sex holiday firms in the UK were charging 1000 quid for seven days of a “girlfriend experience”. I hope that included flights, because you didn’t say.
Look Western media. We know you need the clicks. We know Thailand makes good reading. And we know that Pattaya could hardly be described as squeaky clean.
But can’t you come up with something original. Something that bears a passing resemblance to truth rather than banging on with the same old tired stereo-types.
