A wife’s anguish to a British television agony aunt has sparked an enormous debate on social media. The lady is sorely distressed after discovering her husband of nearly 50 years has made several trips to Thailand and dispatched mega-cash to a Thai bank account which are “none of your business”. Most of the advice pouring in has been to see a solicitor about a divorce and/or change the locks on the front door. Everyone seems to know instinctively the guy’s reasons for heading to the Land of Smiles.
Some bloggers on Facebook and Twitter have been speculating where in Thailand the errant husband has been heading. The main choice is Pattaya on the grounds that the resort is not exactly famous for celibacy or monogamy, or that archaeological parks or scenic waterfalls are rather thin on the ground in Sin City. One keyboarder actually claimed to know details of the case and provided a blurred photograph of a transgender person known locally as Mattress Lill as the object of carnal desires.
But others have sprung to the defence of the city by pointing out that a police inspection of tourist districts last month found no evidence of prostitution in Pattaya, whilst the Eastern Economic Corridor is rapidly transforming the whole area into a business and leisure center reminiscent of Miami, Dubai or Singapore. Notwithstanding personal grief, the British media episode has relit the ongoing debate about international tourism in Thailand and Pattaya. An official at City Hall said, “One wonders if all this fuss would be made if the destination in question had been in Europe, China or America.” Probably not.
