Somchai
12-23-2007, 09:54 PM
Determining the age of consent in Thailand is a bit complicated because so many different laws apply in different circumstances.
It gets a even more complicated because prostitution is illegal in Thailand. And yes prostitution goes on all over Thailand. It has done for centuries and there is a whole industry based on it! So don't worry about breaking this law!
The simple rule to follow with respect to age is, do not go with any girl or ladyboy who has not reached the age of 18 years. Stick to this rule and you will be fine.
So how do you know how old your intended horizontal dancing partner is. You can ask them but if they are under age, they will lie. You also need to know that when you ask any Thai how old they are, they always tell you how old they will be on their next birthday. Hence a 16 year old under age girl will lie and tell you she is 18. A 17 year old will tell you honestly that she is 18 but omit to mention that its on her next birthday!
The way round this is to look at their Identity Card. All Thais are required to have an ID card from the age of 16 and to carry it at all times.
If she says she has lost it, had it stolen, left it in her room then DUMP HER.
When you look at an ID Card you will see the date of birth across the middle of the card. In the example below she was born on 18 WA 2528. I say "WA" as it looks like that but thats not what it says. What that middle entry is, is the month of birth and its always in Thai script and can cause problems as you cant read it.
The year of birth is 2528. How can this be you may wonder. Thailand uses the Buddhist calender. The year 2008 in the West will be 2551 in Thailand. The year 2000 in the West was 2543 in Thailand.
So the age of the owner of this example ID Card in 2007 is 2550 (2007) minus her year of birth 2528 = 22 years.
It follows that some one born in 2533 will be 18 years old sometime in 2551 (2008). Trouble is that you wont be able to read the month of their birth. So say for instance, you come on holiday in June 2008 ( 2551), you wont know if a girl born in 2533 has already had her birthday and is already 18 years old or if she is infact still 17 till that 18th birthday comes around.
For safety's sake take 19 (years) off the current Thai year 2551 (2008) = 2532. Then don't go with a girl born after 2532. Then you will know that someone born in 2532 is at least 18 already and could be all of 19 years old.
In many hotels, the girls are required to hand in their ID cards into the hotel reception, when they arrive to stay with you. The hotel should keep a copy of it. They should also phone you prior to handing back the ID card to the girl to make sure that you are OK- ie nothing been stolen, you are unharmed etc. Also often they will refuse entry to an underage girl. However, dont rely on this. Make your own checks as described here.
I have obliterated the number across the top of this example ID card for confidentiality. That number, given to the police will track down any Thai person to their home village. The 2 dates at the bottom of the card are the dates the card was issued and when it expires.
It gets a even more complicated because prostitution is illegal in Thailand. And yes prostitution goes on all over Thailand. It has done for centuries and there is a whole industry based on it! So don't worry about breaking this law!
The simple rule to follow with respect to age is, do not go with any girl or ladyboy who has not reached the age of 18 years. Stick to this rule and you will be fine.
So how do you know how old your intended horizontal dancing partner is. You can ask them but if they are under age, they will lie. You also need to know that when you ask any Thai how old they are, they always tell you how old they will be on their next birthday. Hence a 16 year old under age girl will lie and tell you she is 18. A 17 year old will tell you honestly that she is 18 but omit to mention that its on her next birthday!
The way round this is to look at their Identity Card. All Thais are required to have an ID card from the age of 16 and to carry it at all times.
If she says she has lost it, had it stolen, left it in her room then DUMP HER.
When you look at an ID Card you will see the date of birth across the middle of the card. In the example below she was born on 18 WA 2528. I say "WA" as it looks like that but thats not what it says. What that middle entry is, is the month of birth and its always in Thai script and can cause problems as you cant read it.
The year of birth is 2528. How can this be you may wonder. Thailand uses the Buddhist calender. The year 2008 in the West will be 2551 in Thailand. The year 2000 in the West was 2543 in Thailand.
So the age of the owner of this example ID Card in 2007 is 2550 (2007) minus her year of birth 2528 = 22 years.
It follows that some one born in 2533 will be 18 years old sometime in 2551 (2008). Trouble is that you wont be able to read the month of their birth. So say for instance, you come on holiday in June 2008 ( 2551), you wont know if a girl born in 2533 has already had her birthday and is already 18 years old or if she is infact still 17 till that 18th birthday comes around.
For safety's sake take 19 (years) off the current Thai year 2551 (2008) = 2532. Then don't go with a girl born after 2532. Then you will know that someone born in 2532 is at least 18 already and could be all of 19 years old.
In many hotels, the girls are required to hand in their ID cards into the hotel reception, when they arrive to stay with you. The hotel should keep a copy of it. They should also phone you prior to handing back the ID card to the girl to make sure that you are OK- ie nothing been stolen, you are unharmed etc. Also often they will refuse entry to an underage girl. However, dont rely on this. Make your own checks as described here.
I have obliterated the number across the top of this example ID card for confidentiality. That number, given to the police will track down any Thai person to their home village. The 2 dates at the bottom of the card are the dates the card was issued and when it expires.