chapter 6. other concepts relating to sex - Windward Community ...

The law is called the "suppression" (pràap) of prostitution act because the police and
government recognize that it is not possible to eliminate prostitution in Thailand (and perhaps
they do not desire to do so), but it is possible to control its appearance. SWU students know this
about the law, but when they describe it in English, they say that prostitution is "illegal." Part of
this distinction may be in the terms used. The law uses the term sŏopheenii, which commonly
refers to “direct” prostitutes, or those who work in brothels. There are also dozens of "indirect"
prostitutes (call girls, masseuses) in snooker halls and restaurants throughout the municipal
district of Mahasarkaham, but the brothels are located in the area known as Fàng Thong.
Fàng Thong is an area, really one lane, next to the canal near the department store. Small
structures, many with corrugated tin roofs and old wooden walls, closely front the street. Men
wander, many stumbling, around the area at night. During the day it is relatively quiet. In 1994,
there were seven or eight brothels (søˆøng), each with six to eight prostitutes. Realistically,
prostitution laws are enforced only if there is a problem or if someone complains. In one case a
16-year police veteran related to me, a husband took his wife to sell sex in a hotel. They arrested
the husband but not the wife because she was forced. The officer explained that the Thai law
allows for some flexibility. It allows police to deal with the elements that cause danger or threaten
society. He suggested that the real cause of prostitution, poverty, must be dealt with to solve the
problem but that it will take time.
The police are familiar with the people at Fàng Thong. A detective who is a good friend
of a fellow aajaan, offered to take me there since the police cruise the area frequently looking for
problems. The police officers were very friendly with the brothel owners and chatted the whole
while we were there. During this time, men came to use the services, and the police ignored them.
Things carried on as normally as they could with a faràng woman visiting.
Another part of the sex-related law is abortion. Abortion is illegal in Thailand except if
(a) it is necessary for the health of the woman, or (b) if the pregnancy is the result of rape (section
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