Thailand’s Sex Industry and the Empower Foundation

By Amanda Sangeetha Thomas

One of the first thoughts that come to mind when someone says Bangkok is, sex industry. It’s true that Bangkok does have a large and eventful night life and sex industry that caters to any and almost every sort of fetish and preference. Since the Vietnam War, Thailand has gained international notoriety among travellers as a sex tourism destination. Selling sex may remain illegal in Thailand but it is also still lives right there in Pat Pong, Bangkok. Where there is a sex industry, there will be sex workers.

Empower Foundation ("Education Means Protection Of Women Engaged in Recreation"), also known as Centre for Sex Workers' Protection or Moolniti Songserm Okard Pooying, is a non-profit organisation in Thailand that supports sex workers by offering free classes in language, health, law, and pre-college education as well as individual counselling. It was founded in 1985 by Chantawipa Apisuk. The organisation also lobbies the government to extend regular labour protections to sex workers and to legalize prostitution. Unlike most Thai organisations operating in this field, Empower takes a neutral stance towards sex work and does not pressure people to leave the trade. Partly because of this, Empower receives little financial support from the Thai government; the bulk of the donations come from abroad.

Many sex workers who work in this industry don’t really have the confidence to achieve any sort of goals except to work to take care of themselves. Empower aims to help these women. With this current age of technology and communication, these women learn how to use the internet to their advantage and equip themselves with information that is vital to their wellbeing and legal status as a citizen of Thailand. At the Empower foundation they teach these girls to speak the English language so it would help them when dealing with their foreign customers. Some of these girls use the computers and free internet that is provided at the centre to chat and keep in touch with some of their valuable ex-customers. 

The government did have talks in 2003 to legalise prostitution and the sex business. By legalising the sex business, the government will stand to gain in economic profit and this will indefinitely boost the country’s economy. Legalisation would give the estimated 300,000 sex workers access to social services, healthcare, and protection from abuse while exposing corruption among the industry's gatekeepers - police, politicians and business owners. Chantawipa Apisuk, who runs Empower says as long as prostitution is illegal, "the mafia will be the employer and ... the employees will be sex slaves".

In 2005 The Rockefeller Foundation agreed to support Empower in becoming Empower University. In many ways, Empower had been a university for many years. In addition to the 30,000 sex workers who have studied with Empower, Empower Foundation has increasingly become recognized as the strongest and most successful organization for sex workers in South East Asia. This recognition has seen Empower sharing skills, information and methodology with an increasing number and variety of groups and individuals nationally, regionally and internationally. Empower hosts visits at least once a week for groups and individuals be they students, journalists, researchers, government officials, women’s organizations or those working for UN bodies. 

Empower has a long history (since 1985) of offering internships and trainings to a diverse range of people. Interns have included people from Trent University, Harvard University, Brown University, AFS Programme Australian Volunteers International and John Hopkins University. 

Amanda Sangeetha Thomas, 21, currently pursuing majoring in Communications and International Studies, suffers from sleep deprivation.

Diary Entry – Day 7

By Bonnie Teh

Photos by Esther Chung, Amanda Sangeetha Thomas, Bonnie Teh

We started the day bright and early. Most of us were going about buying morning snacks from the ever-exciting 7-11 and collecting laundry. The air was abuzz with enthusiasm, as it was the last day for sessions after all. We made our usual way to the BTS Skytrain, getting off at Phrom Pong today. Getting a taxi was such a chore. Most of them were not familiar with the destination we were heading to. We were dismissed by most taxis the minute we told them the location, so we decided to walk in the blistering heat until we could find willing taxi drivers to take us there. The plan worked moderately well I suppose. Some of us walked a little, and some of us, more.

About an hour later, we found ourselves arriving at the Duang Prateep Foundation. I suppose we were somewhat expecting to be in a slum, but the centre was on a main road with no signs of tangible urban poverty. No matter. We were treated to a moving video presentation, and then taken on a tour into - yes, the real slum. Surprisingly, we needed only to turn left off the main road into an alleyway. It was just a complete maze from there on. It was left and right, and right, and right, and left. You’d think that the slum-dwellers were objects of our observation, but I think it was quite the opposite. Naked children stared at us from doorways and mangy dogs clamoured for our attention. It was all very sad, yet enlightening. I suddenly was reminded of how fortunate I am. What were the odds? I could’ve been the one squatting at slums, dreaming of a better tomorrow.

A moment in the slum.

Once we were back to the Duang Prateep Foundation centre, we had some free time and spent some of it interacting with the children there. They were mostly amused by our presence, though some were reserved and kept to their colouring books. I must say that they love being photographed though. They would pose for you, and want to see their picture. It was all very cute. Arman and Nandhini were especially taken by the children and expressed wishes to be parents very soon. I found it rather hilarious, and worrying.

All that baby-talk made us hungry so again we walked in the punishing heat to Chumchuri Square to have a quick lunch. The food was moderately good, but not great. It was reasonable though, to my surprise, since we were at a shopping mall. Powered by food, we again walked under the horrid sun to Chulalongkorn University to explore the political situation of Thailand. I very much liked Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak who gave the talk in regards to the issue. I found him rather eloquent and passionate, in a mild-mannered yet critical kind of way. Thailand and Malaysia’s political landscape has been quite similar of late, and I think the kind of progress that is in place is very encouraging. Both nations are doing something right.

Professor Thitinan giving a lecture on Thailand's politics

Our second student guide, Jang, joined us after her class today. She is petite and witty. We all took a liking to her. After all that serious discussion, we again took a 20 minutes walk to Pat Pong to visit an NGO called Empower. Pat Pong looked like an ordinary street in the daytime. It was almost strange. The founder was very charismatic and somewhat sarcastic. I liked her and thought her a real soldier for her people. It was just so amazing, to see that much effort channeled into enriching the lives of sex workers. In a nutshell, they provide sex workers with information, character building and skills training. Skills training include language, computer and cooking lessons, etc. The founder also demonstrated to us how a number of show props were used, some of which I found hard to appreciate. We were also given a generous amount of condoms as souvenirs. I thought they were great because the words on the packaging were in Thai. I do not know if any of us had any use for them though.

Wall of words for those learning English at Empower

Bonnie Teh, 23, currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Journalism at Monash University. Has I'm-gonna-take-on-the-world days and no-mood-for-small-talk days.

Thailand’s Urban Poverty: An Overview and The Duang Prateep Foundation

By Seow Choon Hui
Photos by Esther Chung, Amanda Sangeetha Thomas and Bonnie Teh

When it comes to the issue on poverty, many will tend to associate the term with rural underdevelopment and resource scarcity, often in a conventional sense. Nevertheless, in recent years an extensive body of literature has emerged to provide a more concise and well rounded definition, measurement and analysis of poverty. To begin, urban poverty, especially in cities like Bangkok is a multidimensional phenomenon. The urban poor live with many deprivations. Their daily challenges may include:

• limited access to fair employment opportunities and income,
• no legal right of abode, fear of evictions
• inadequate and insecure housing and services
• violent and unhealthy environments
• little or not social protection mechanisms
• limited access to adequate health services and education opportunities.

Despite the fact that Thailand’s economy has improved over the years since the 1997 Financial Crisis, the issue of urban poverty is still rather apparent until today. The financial crisis has had some impact on unemployment and underemployment starting in December 2008, though overall unemployment is still very low. As the economic crisis began, unemployment rates in Thailand increased. In December 2008, the number of unemployed individuals rose by 65 percent year-on-year, resulting in an unemployment rate of 1.4 percent in December and 2.4 percent in January. A survey conducted by the Ministry of Education showed that the crisis also hit new graduates from public and private universities. The share of unemployed new graduates almost doubled from 17.7 percent in 2007 to 30 percent in 2008, which is evidence that labor supply and demand are moving further apart. However, the unemployment rate only tells one part of the story. The number of underemployed workers in fact increased by roughly three percent (180,000) between September 2008 and March 2009. This comes to show that despite the occurrence of globalization that has benefited many parties, there is still an apparent social and economy division in the country. It is when the rich becomes even richer and the poor as well as those who can’t catch up with the rapid societal and economical changes will be left behind.

Internal migration within Thailand has always been happening but at a particular point tracing back to almost 40 years ago, rural area villagers and the working class started to flock to the city of Bangkok in search of a better life and a job that pays relatively more. This is when the problem of urban poverty began to flourish as the ratio of employment opportunities to the population was rather high and following the swift pace of the shifting socioeconomic forces, these individuals then became part of the statistics that delineates urban poverty. One of the two major slums in Bangkok, minutely tucked within the busy district of Klong Thuey, is an example that illustrates the actual circumstances of what urban poverty is like. 

A part of Klong Toey slum

Communities living in unruly condition.

The Klong Toey Slum is one of the oldest and largest slums in Bangkok, having been around for about 50 years. The slum communities are made up of a majority of rural migrants from Northeast Thailand who came to Bangkok in search of job opportunities. They constantly face threats of eviction from the authorities in Thailand because they have no legal right to the land that they occupy. Poverty and health problems are just some of the difficulties faced by the community of the slums.

Sanitation and living conditions not at the most desirable level

Today, the Duang Prateep Foundation (DPF) seeks to help these urban poor, providing education for the slum’s children and organizing various projects to help empower the people and communities. Starting with just a house and a group of slum children, the Prateep sisters’ humble beginnings had grown from just five people working in a small office to having over 100 staff and twenty full-time volunteers, with many part-time helpers. In 1992 the Foundation moved into a new permanent building, Thailand's first comprehensive and resource center for a slum community.

Since education is the main effort of the DPF, the people are exposed to skills and knowledge which can aid them in a long-term period, enabling them to be independent in the future and cultivate a sense of confidence. In the process, the foundation instills a sense of community participation and ensures that communities like these are able to advance forward by helping not just oneself but one another. Pioneering projects by the DPF would encompass:

• Duang Prateep Kindergarten
• Community kindergartens
• Educational sponsorship
• Special education for the hearing-impaired
• Nithan Caravan puppet troupe
• Youth groups
• Tsunami relief program
• Senior Citizen's care
• HIV/Aids awareness program

Perhaps the matters on urban poverty might not be eradicated all at once and poverty in certain parts of the city will still remain, but the DPF has initiated a very valuable effort to the slum community. Alongside the main agenda of the Thai government, DPF as a whole does not only look after the well-being and state of the community but also changes the general public’s current mindset that the poor is the source of society’s ills. There is definitely a much larger picture to that but with DPF’s initiatives, it is believed that the income gaps in Thailand will be gradually bridged and the alleviation of poverty shall be increased in near future. 

Seow Choon Hui, 22, is a Bachelor's degree holder double majoring in psychology and communications. With the semester coming to an end, he is currently stuck between limbo of his last term and the taunting realm of being a fresh graduate.

Once Upon a Time in Thailand: Folklore or Religion?

By Esther Chung

In most societies, the distinction between local folklore and religious teachings remains unclear. The line is usually blurred. It is difficult to tell when folk legends end and religious myths begin. Such a situation is no stranger in Thai society: one could tell that some are obviously local lore, whereby others remain indistinguishable. Two popular folklores will serve to illustrate this dilemma.

The legend of Nang Nak revolves around the tragic tale of a loving and loyal wife – Nak. Both Nak and Mak were expecting their firstborn when Mak was called to serve in the king’s army. Mak won the approval of the king due to his bravery and combat skills, and was thus awarded with riches. He returned to Nak and their newborn boy, a happy man. As he was expressing his contentment of being blessed with success and a loving family, his neighbours grew wary and suspicious. They said that Nak died during childbirth along with their newborn son. Mak did not believe them and laughed it off. The next day, the village was horrified by the brutal deaths of the neighbours whom warned Mak about his family. Mak still did not believe the villagers’ warnings until one by one they were found cruelly murdered. He then spied on Nak to see if the rumours were true. It was found that Nak had ghostly abilities. Mak fled from his ghost wife and Nak began to terrorise the villagers as she thought they were the ones who separated her husband from her. The village shaman interceded and exorcised her and her son’s spirit so they could find peace. 

A shrine to Nang Nak can be found near Phra Khanong in memory of her devotion and undying love to her husband. According to our local tour guide, Wang, the legend of Nang Nak is doubtlessly a Thai folklore. It is a widely known folklore and people still present offerings to Nang Nak’s shrine. The two known variations of the legend have no elements of Buddhism in it. 

Another household name would be Nang Kwak, whose original name was Nang Supawadee. Supawadee was the only child of two travelling traders. She was described as filial, compassionate and wise for her age. She would accompany her parents to town and help with the trading. One day, Supawadee overheard the sermon of a travelling monk and asked permission from her parents to go to a nearby temple where he was going to preach. Entranced by his teachings, Supawadee then took refuge in the Triple Gems (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). Her devotion moved the gods, who then bestowed blessings upon her and her parents.

Supawadee, widely known as Nang Kwak, is now worshipped as a major deity, especially in service-based business establishments like restaurants and hotels. She sits cross-legged in a red dress and golden crown with her hand posed in an inviting manner, as if to invite guests into the hotel or restaurant. Nang Kwak is an equivalent of the Chinese deity of prosperity, believed to bring profits and good luck to corporate agencies.

An altar to Nang Kwak in our accommodation, Golden Palace Hotel, Bangkok.

In this case, Wang could not clearly tell whether Nang Kwak is a Thai or Buddhist myth. While the human figure of Nang Kwak is clearly known as Thai, the process of her apotheosis remains hazy. A variation of the legend purports Nang Kwak to be the daughter of a mountain spirit. On one hand the legend has strong relations with Buddhism, on the other it sounds like a shamanistic belief. 

Be it related to religion or local beliefs, one can spot the similarities found in most folklores of different countries: the jilted lover, the devoted believer and a vengeful spirit, to name a few. Having said that, it cannot be denied that Thai legends have their own unique flavor to it.

P/S: The two tales were told to me by our Buri Ram tour guide, Wang.

Esther Chung, 21, is a Communications and Writing major student. Married to chocolate. Last seen swooning over the poems of Edgar Allan Poe.

Diary Entry - Day 6

By Shanaz Mohamed 
Photos by Amanda Sangeetha Thomas

Having almost the entire evening free the previous day, we were all quite refreshed when we headed for breakfast. After we energized ourselves with toast, porridge, and omelettes, we left to check out the M.B.R. Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. 

M.B.R Sporting Goods Co., Ltd. is a textile and shoe manufacturing factory. Amusingly, we were allowed to take pictures of the inside as long as it was taken from the outside. The manager gave us a tour around the different blocks of the factory which made different products. Although we did not get to enter the factory, we were shown samples of their products such as children’s bed sheets, shoes, lingerie, and even Calvin Klein shirts. We were curious enough to ask whether they sold the reject shirts there, only to discover they sold them at the mini mart a few minutes away.  

By the time we were done there, our vans were waiting to take us to the Bata factory. This particular factory was not owned by Bata, but by the locals. However Bata is their biggest buyer and their products are labelled Bata.  There are 150 workers in the factory. As most of the population in Buriram were women, many workers were female as well. They used division of labour for production; while some were stitching up the soles, others were attaching them to the shoe.  

Unfortunately for them, they face the issue of younger generations leaving to work in factories in Bangkok where their wages are higher than theirs. But they intend to raise their wage rates by the January.

Here’s a fun fact for you, if you look for the number on the Bata shoes, and if it says 455, then they were made in Buriram. 

Our last stop was the Baan Paeeng Puay School. We gathered in the library, where two of their students showed us around the school. The kids told us that they were allowed to borrow books from the library for 7 days per book. 

They also had a ‘tree of good deeds’ in the library where if the students did community service, they wrote what they did on a piece of paper and their parents would sign for verification purposes. Then, these papers were hung from a make shift tree.

The school ran a programme called ‘school bird programme’. This programme is funded by Skoll, Population and Community Development Association, and The Mechai Vravaiya Foundation. Under this programmme, students grew vegetables like mushroom, chilli, eggplant, lime, and mints. They also raised frogs and cat fish. When they were ripe enough to eat, the students gave them to the school and sold the leftovers. The students who grew the mushrooms managed to earn  about 13000 baht. Parents helped to design the program and since the students sold it, the whole community benefited from it. It also goes well with the rice plantations that the rest of the community does. 

Interestingly, the school had decided that they would re-use the old toilet bowls as pots for their plantations.

We came back to C&C to have lunch. And we were packed up and ready to go back to Bangkok by 1:30pm. It was then the realisation, that it was our last day in Buriram, sunk in. I’d say it was bitter sweet, but really, I was really looking forward to bathrooms which weren’t ant infested, or clogged. But we would all definitely miss the greenery, and the carefree life style that the people in the village displayed.


Before everyone went their separate ways for dinner, we had a cultural night practise session. I’d tell you what the dances are, but you’ll just have to wait for the big night to see our dances! But let me tell you this, our dances truly are awesome.

So here we are, back in Bangkok, looking forward to another exciting day

Shanaz Mohamed, 19 is a Psychology and International studies major, a dedicated doodler, collector of quotes, and a comic book geek, among other things. 

Tennis in Thailand: A View from the Stands

By Helen Sneha

As I was walking down the stairs of the Phloen Chit train station two nights ago, I spotted, in the shadows, a lone lady holding an oversized tennis racquet. I ran up to her and asked, “Do you play? You play?” while trying to mimic a service motion. She said that she didn’t play, but she worked for a company that made tennis racquets. If she was used to tennis-mad tourists interrogating her on the sidewalk at night, she didn’t show it. 

Some tennis-mad tourists (okay, fine, I have to admit I’m one of the many) might have fretted that having great adventures in Bangkok would have to come at the expense of that most hallowed of tournaments, Wimbledon. Even before it had started, Wimbledon 2012 was promising to be particularly remarkable, especially with Olympic tennis due to be played there at the end of July. It was to my great delight – you can ask my roommates, they saw a legitimate outpouring of it – in which I discovered that the hotel provided StarSports as one of its channels.

I was then reminded of the numerous advertisements that run during the course of the Australian Open, the first major of the year, stating that the live broadcast on StarSports is presented by Thai Airways. I’ve never flown with Thai Airways, but I know that for once I’m glad for a big corporation. This way I could spend my days and nights in Bangkok and the wee hours of the morning on the lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis Club – in spirit, of course. 

I would go so far as to say that on the whole Asian continent, Thai tennis is only behind that of those two regional heavyweights, India (which has produced the Amritraj brothers, countless outstanding doubles teams, and Sania Mirza) and China (who boasts Li Na, the first female Asian grand slam champion). Thailand is certainly the most successfully country in South East Asia in terms of producing tennis players, and arguably even in terms of hosting tournaments. While Laos can lay some claim to Anne Keothavong, who will represent Great Britain in the Olympics this summer, and her brother, James a top-tier umpire who regularly makes the trip down to South East Asia over the yearly indoor swing to umpire in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, Thailand has produced top-tier players such as Paradorn Srichaphan and Tamarine Tanasugarn over the years. 

Srichaphan, to the best of my memory, attained the highest ranking ever achieved by an Asian man in the Association of Tennis Players (ATP), a record which he still holds today. He appears periodically on StarSports’ tennis program ‘Ace’, offering views on upcoming tennis matches and sometimes even playing little quiz games with the hostess. Broad-shouldered, tanned, grinning, and good-natured, he still cuts an impressive figure in his post-retirement. 

Tamarine Tanasugarn, sadly, made an early exit at this year’s Wimbledon a few days ago, but has a powerful forehand and is usually a tricky opponent on the grass. She, along with Mirza, Li Na, and Japan’s Kimiko Date Krumm has done much the image of Asian women’s tennis over the past few years. 

Thailand also hosts an ATP tournament right here in Bangkok. It has been successful over the years in pulling in big names like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. In a region where tennis tournaments struggle to find funding, the Bangkok Open has done remarkably well for itself, pulling visitors from all over its neighboring countries and offering the players full stadiums and healthy sums of prize money. 

As I write this from my hotel room, I’m half-watching last year’s defending champion, Andy Murray, play in front of his home crowd at Wimbledon. I must say, I really enjoy the Thai commentary. 

Helen Sneha, 20, is a second-year Bachelor of Arts student, double-majoring in Writing and International Studies. She is hopelessly interested in tennis, funky rings, dinosaurs, and the human hand.

Galleria of the Macabre: a journey to the Siriraj Medical Museum of Death

By Arman Attarzadeh

Many countries around the world have their fair share of bizarre and surreal attractions that almost seem to be ripped out of the confines of an overly imaginative mind, yet none have I seen that are as peculiarly morbid and at the same time amazingly jaw-dropping as the Museum of Death located within Siriraj Medical Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. When I first discovered this place of macabre exhibits, I immediately knew that I had to prepare myself for a smorgasbord of formaldehyde-preserved fetuses, human body parts, organs and other gut-wrenching things that I could not fathom at the time.

At first, I thought that I would be the only one who would have been interested in seeing something as ghastly as the ‘Museum of Death’ and that the others would be too terrified to even consider the thought of visiting it. Boy was I wrong in thinking that as, lo and behold, once I explained the place to the group I immediately had eager volunteers who would accompany me to see this gruesome attraction – with the tiniest of females in our group being the most enthusiastic of all of us.

The museum is split into 6 different sections, with each section dedicated to disgust you in its own way: 

1. The Ellis Pathological Museum dedicated to fetal development and abnormalities, different types of cancers, explaining the functions of the heart and heart disease, and brain abnormalities and tumors.

2. The Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum dedicated to forensic investigation and the displaying of forensic evidence in crimes such as rape, murder and involuntary man-slaughter.

3. The Ouay Ketusingh Museum of History of Thai Medicine dedicated to the development of Thai medicine and herbology.

4. The Parasitology Museam dedicated to parasitical infections and causes of infectious diseases.

5. The Congdon Anatomical Museum dedicated to displaying anatomical and osteological specimens of both normal and abnormal features.

6. Finally, the Sood Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum and Laboratory, dedicated to archeological exhibits and findings within Thailand and the explanation of the development of humans and their communities.

We only managed to see the Ellis Pathological Museum, the Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum, the Parasitology Museam, and the Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum and Laboratory but let me tell you, it was still definitely worth it. My favorite section was the forensic medicine museum that displayed real-life human bones and body parts related to crimes along with other criminal evidence such as murder weapons and extracted bullets. It was an unexplainable experience to be so close to actual dead bodies; drawn in to this world where the exhibits are not merely for show but rather, those bodies behind the glass panels were all at one point living, breathing, sentient human beings with a family and a job – hopes, dreams and aspirations that were all taken away from them. You could actually close your eyes and see what the skulls would look like with skin and flesh on them, or hear the cries of a new-born baby who was drowned in water. It definitely sent shivers down my spine yet I didn’t want to leave the museum, wanting to take in all of it and burn the image in my mind no matter how twisted that sounds.

With our schedule so packed and our time so short, our visit to the museum had to end a bit sooner than expected. As we all began to make our way out of the hospital, we were all still trying to wrap our heads around what we had just witnessed. It was an experience no one would ever seem to forget and many would go on to take something from it as I know I did. So with one last look at the Museum of Death, I bade adieu to all the exhibits and made my way to the exit all while still thinking about the wondrous things I had seen in there. Thailand, you definitely stepped up the game this time!

Arman Attarzadeh, 21 is a dedicated Linux & Android user. Also a passionate guitar player and computer-generated techie. Overall, a jolly fat man pursuing a Bachelor's Degree at Monash University Sunway Campus majoring in Communications and International Studies