[anarchist23]

After a football practice on Saturday June 23, 12 young players and their "Wild Boars" team coach entered the 10km (6 mile) Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand.

I think a new sign is required...

[anarchist23]

Unfortunately two of the boys have pneumonia but they are in hospital being treated.

On this Thai TV channel you can sense the excitement and jubilation at the rescue. It's lovely. lol
Live from Thailand...

[MistyTiger]

Whoohoo, they are all rescued! OMG, yes the cave should have a flood warning sign. And whose smart idea was it to go into the cave after soccer practice? Doesn't anyone want to go home and eat or sleep?

[Godstud]

I think they should brick up the cave and make a monument to the soldier who died trying to save the kids.

[Zamuel]

Whoohoo, they are all rescued! OMG, yes the cave should have a flood warning sign.

They do.

Zam

[Godstud]

They went in, in June... (18 days ago)

[anarchist23]

How come if you're a foreign guy living in Thailand you're considered a paedophile?
It's a sad state of affairs. I hope the guy sues Musk...

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has apologised to a British cave diver he called "pedo guy" in a row over the cave rescue in northern Thailand.
He said he had "spoken in anger" after Vern Unsworth ridiculed a mini-submarine he had commissioned for the rescue effort as a "PR stunt".
"His actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologise," Mr Musk said.
Mr Unsworth has said he may sue for being called a "paedophile".

[anarchist23]

[Rancid]

How come if you're a foreign guy living in Thailand you're considered a paedophile?

It comes from the fact that a lot of old men. Especially white old men go to Thailand to hook up with very young women. I'm sure most of the time the women aren't underage, but I'm sure in some cases they are.

[Godstud]

It comes from the fact that a lot of old men. Especially white old men go to Thailand to hook up with very young women.

This actually happens in a great many other places, and Thailand isn't even #1 for this sort of thing, ranking well below China, Germany, and others. Thailand is not unique in this regard, and is unfairly maligned.

38 million tourists come to Thailand each year, and the vast majority are not old white men looking for young women. It's as accurate as saying that USA is just a whorehouse, simply because there are some outside of Las Vegas.

It's ethnocentric rubbish.

[anarchist23]

This video was released today after the young lads were discharged from hospital.
Definitely worth a watch.

.

[anarchist23]

It comes from the fact that a lot of old men. Especially white old men go to Thailand to hook up with very young women. I'm sure most of the time the women aren't underage, but I'm sure in some cases they are.

You would think that the continual stereotyping about the Mexicans would put you on guard in relation to sweeping statements about holiday makers in Thailand. Just saying...

[One Degree]

You would think that the continual stereotyping about the Mexicans would put you on guard in relation to sweeping statements about holiday makers in Thailand. Just saying...

You asked for a reason. He gave you a reason. You then attack him personally for giving you a reason. He never even said he thought it. This is just more self righteous attempt to censor any words you don’t want to hear. Don’t ask the question if you don’t want an answer.

[Rancid]

This actually happens in a great many other places, and Thailand isn't even #1 for this sort of thing, ranking well below China, Germany, and others. Thailand is not unique in this regard, and is unfairly maligned.

38 million tourists come to Thailand each year, and the vast majority are not old white men looking for young women. It's as accurate as saying that USA is just a whorehouse, simply because there are some outside of Las Vegas.

It's ethnocentric rubbish.

You would think that the continual stereotyping about the Mexicans would put you on guard in relation to sweeping statements about holiday makers in Thailand. Just saying...

Doesn't change what I said.

You guys are off base totally.

I was explaining why people believe foreigners in Thailand are pedos. It's because a lot of old people do go there to hook up with women. Plain and simple. Whether Thailand is #1 or not in this doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. This is the reason people believe foreigners are pedos.

[Rancid]

You asked for a reason. He gave you a reason. You then attack him personally for giving you a reason. He never even said he thought it. This is just more self righteous attempt to censor any words you don’t want to hear. Don’t ask the question if you don’t want an answer.

Exactly. I never claimed I believed the stereotype. I never claimed it's always true that foreigners go to Thailand for hooking up with young people. etc. etc. I don't understand what's got these two so worked up.

That said, one thing that is a fact, is that Thailand has a significant sex tourism industry. It's also known underage girls work this industry as well (hell, just heard a pod cast about it recently). This is another source of the belief.

Sure, many other countries have large sex tourism industries too. I'm sure many are larger than Thailand. Doesn't change my answer to the question.

The most you could complain is that Thailand is unfairly singled out. It probably is, but again, that's why the stereotype exists. My original post stands.

[anarchist23]

Over the decades I've known dozens and dozens of travellers many of them male visiting Thailand and I can assure you categorically that none of them are sex tourists.

[Rancid]

Over the decades I've known dozens and dozens of travellers many of them male visiting Thailand and I can assure you categorically that none of them are sex tourists.

We're changing the subject now, but that's fine.

Are you now denying the existence of a sex tourism industry in Thailand? You're not going there are you?

By the way, your limited personal experience is not enough data to prove anything. I'll give you an example. I was in the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago. I saw no prostitutes, and I heard no one talk about buying sex. Actually, I've been there numerous times, and never heard/saw anything related to prostitution. However, contrary to my personal experience, there is indeed a significant sex tourism industry there. It's well documented. I hope you can infer from that, that your personal experience in Thailand is probably not large enough a data set to come to any real conclusion.

In short, "I've never seen/heard it" isn't an argument that something doesn't exist.

I'll give you a chance to back out of this.

[anarchist23]

Back out of what? Explain..
I sometimes think, possibly not in your case, that comments about the older men hooking up with young Thai girls is a dig at godstud. It's predictable and not justified/warranted, whatever.

[Rancid]

Back out of what? Explain..

When you posted your personal experience, it seemed as though you were implying that a sex tourism industry doesn't exist in Thailand. If you can confirm that's not your claim, we can stop at that.

I sometimes think, possibly not in your case, that comments about the older men hooking up with young Thai girls is a dig at godstud. It's predictable and not justified/warranted, whatever.

Not in my case. My comments were not directed at him in anyway. Direct or indirect.

I like Godstud. I don't know the exact details of his experiences in Thailand, and how he found love. Nor frankly, do I care to know. That's his business, and I'm sure it's all on the up and up (even if it weren't, I don't care). I don't believe he's a pedo.

Generally speaking, I see nothing wrong with going to another country to find love.

[anarchist23]

I started a thread on Thai kids trapped in a cave and you didn't post but after 3 dozen posts you did. I mention that an English guy is accused of being a child abuser and you post a derogatory comment about Thailand. Possibly you should focus on Mexico.

A study by UNICEF Mexico and the DIF/National System for Integral Family Development estimated that more than 16,000 children in Mexico were involved in prostitution in June 2000. A 2004 study by researcher Elena Azaola estimated that some 17,000 children under the age of 18 are victims of the sex trade in Mexico; the State System of Integral Family Development (DIF) reported that more than 20,000 minors were victims of child prostitution in Mexico in 2005, an increase since the year 2000.