History - Russell Family Web Page

Another issue which has given the city a reputation is the sex industry. Prostitution in Thailand is
technically illegal, but can be found all over Bangkok in vast numbers of massage parlors, saunas, parks,
and hourly hotels, serving foreign tourists as well as locals. Organized sex work in Bangkok alone
involves a minimum of many thousand workers, and possibly in the tens of thousands. Though Bangkok
is far more affluent than many areas in Indochina, popular youth culture encourages easy money, paid
sex is seen as a means of acquiring the best of capitalism and life has to offer. Vast numbers of locals fly
to Europe on extended vacations with generally older men. Although in upcountry Thailand prostitution
holds a strong stigma, in Bangkok locals, hotel workers, and officials often turn a blind eye towards such
behavior and allow it to continue to flourish.
2006 Bombs
Main article: 2006 Bangkok Bombings
Bombings reported in Bangkok
On 31 December 2006, and into 1 January 2007, eight bombs exploded in the Bangkok city centre and
adjacent Nonthaburi Province, killing three people and injuring more than three dozen people. All three
fatalities were Thais, while nine of the injured were foreigners. All the bombs went off within
approximately 90 minutes of each other. No group has yet to claim responsibility for the explosions.
At the Victory Monument, a busy hub for public transportation, as many as 20 people were injured in a
powerful blast. The police investigated suspicious packages at a handful of other locations throughout the
capital, some of which turned out to be bombs, and were subsequently disarmed.
The New Year's countdown at Central World Plaza was cancelled, as were New Year's celebrations
throughout the city, and people were urged to return to their homes.
Media
Bangkok has been heralded for decades for the amount of free press coverage in Asia. For long it has
been the breeding ground of American democracy in South East Asia and surely, the statistics show.
There is an average of 4 million readers for more than 25 Bangkok based newspapers. The largest
claiming to be Thai Rath one of the most acclaimed papers in Thailand. Bangkok also has a large
selection of English newspapers, the Bangkok Post arguably the most famous followed by the Nation,
other papers such as the Asian Wall Street Journal and the International Herald Tribune also receive high
numbers of distribution. It is however Thai newspapers whom criticize and dig into politics rather than the
two Thai based English papers. Namely Thai Rath and Daily News who been around longest have more
conservative views towards most governments where as newly established papers after the Thammasat
student uprising have more hardline stances. There are also a number of weekly publications normally
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