Dear Hillary,
With PM Yingluck at the top I had hopes that the disgraceful sex trade that tarnishes Thailand’s international reputation would show signs of decline. Sadly this is not the case and thousands of vulnerable Thai, Cambodian, Lao and Vietnamese children are still being exploited for profit. Any chance you could give this issue some coverage please? With hope!
David
Dear David,
Thank you for putting me above PM Yingluck as far as dealing with social problems is concerned. However, I have no power or status to be able to correct much. I am happy to give you the space in my (generally) lighthearted column, but have to point out that the problem you are highlighting is not just a Thailand one. Take the ructions in the UK at present with media stars being arraigned. In any society where there are “rich” next to “poor”, there is always the possibility of the trade in sex, as what else do the poor have to trade with? There is also the fact that there is a demand from the rich side, with the supply coming from the poor. There have been the cases where foreigners have been charged with the offences in their own country, even though the offence might have been carried out in Thailand, for example. Far too deep for the Hillary column, David, but take heart from the fact that there are far more people coming to Thailand for holidays, than there are sex tourists, and particularly those exploiting underprivileged children.
