Via: Beautiful/Decay
In Thailand, the term ladyboy is a nickname for transgender women, and they are a population often met with intolerance and prejudice. Their place in society is explored through photographer Soopakorn Srisakul’s series Mistress, in which he captures the daily life of his girlfriend and four other ladyboys. They all work at bars and as call girls in the infamous red-light Nana district in Bangkok.
Srisakul’s images are his journey in understanding his partner and the others experiences. There are few positions that are hiring transgendered women, so this community typically finds work in department stores, makeup counters, and cabaret venues. Those that are bargirls generally make better the better wages, which allows them to save up for gender reassignment surgeries.
Mistress presents us with poignant pictures of both work and home. There are moments of dark clubs, sure, but there are also quiet scenes in bright bedrooms. Srisakul writes:
They go out working, come back to their room, go relaxing outside, occasionally go back to visit family in the countryside, and then go to work. They, like anyone else, just try to get by. They laugh for joy, cry for sorrow, they work to earn a living, and they have an argument with their boyfriend, just like anyone else. In this sense, what makes them so different from us as to warrant a harsh treatment from the moral society, and do they deserve it at all?
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See more photos, HERE:
http://beautifuldecay.com/2014/09/10/poignant-photos-reflect-culture-thailands-ladyboys/?view=true
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Via: Pattaya Daily News
At 00.10 am Pol.Capt.Netithorn Rattanasuchanan-deputy investigation inspector- had led a team of police officers and volunteer police to crack down on lady boy gangs who prostituted around Walking Street, South Pattaya and Pattaya beach.
The police officers aimed to clamp down on crime and drugs in Pattaya especially the lady boy gang that are always prostituting and stealing from foreigners. This behaviour had destroyed the good image of Pattaya therefore the police officers had to crack down on them.
The police officers caught 20 lady boys and took them to police station, recorded their information, and fined them 200 baht ($6.25 USD) for each before letting them go. Plus the officers had detained a group of 5 lady boys and Thai girls who were suspects in case of snatching a wallet on a baht bus. However the police officers will contact the foreign victim so the snatchers can be identified.
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/pattaya-news/lady-boy-gangs-rounded-walking-street-pattaya/
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Chiang Mai police have arrested a 17-year-old novice monk accused of stealing 20,000 baht ($625USD) from a spa.
The monk – whose name is being withheld as he is under 18 – told police that he had committed several thefts, and afterwards went out to bars dressed in a wig and women’s clothes, one report said.
CityNews reported last week that the monk had walked into a spa and ordered a large amount of spa products, saying they were a present for a senior monk.
CCTV footage shows that while staff were packing the products, he walked to the counter, opened a drawer and took a bag containing the money, before leaving the premises.
Staff at the Oasis Spa on Sirimangkalajarn Road informed police from Phu Ping Palace station, and after studying CCTV footage the suspect was named as the 17-year-old novice monk, who had been arrested for robbery before. He was convicted of stealing goods from another monk in March 2013, and was released from juvenile detention in April this year.
He told police that after he was released from jail, he was secretly ordained and stayed in a temple in Pa Sang district, Lamphun. While there, he stole money totalling around 40,000 baht from the abbot on five occasions. He also stole 5,000 baht from a monk living in another temple, and 30,000 baht and a golden necklace from a woman supporting the monks. He also confessed to stealing a credit card after taking money from the spa.
http://chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4323
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Bad lady-boy, whatcha want
Watcha want, whatcha gonna do?
When sheriff John Brown come for you
Tell me whatcha wanna do, whatcha gonna do?
Bad lady-boy, bad lady-boy whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Bad lady-boy, bad lady-boy whatcha gonna do?
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
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At 23.00 pm. 57 Mr Deniet Francis David 46 years old from Australia notified Pol.Lt.Col.Chaliao Boonkhum the investigation inspector of Pattaya police station- that he had been drugged and all his belongings which valued about 100,000 baht ($3,058 USD)had been stolen by a gang of lady boys.
Mr Deniet Francis David told the police that on May 28, at 06.30 am he was walking along Pattaya beach near the beginning of Soi 4 where he met a gang of lady boys.
The lady boys tried to befriend him and one of them gave him a drink which caused him to fall unconsciousness.
He then told police that he woke up in the Pattaya Memorial Hospital and his 4 baht gold necklace, 500 dollars, a mac book, headphone with music player and 1 data recorder which all valued about 100,000 baht were missing.
Upon questioning him the police recorded the incident and ordered a patrol and investigating team to the scene to hunt for the thieving lady boy gang (yeah right, that’ll happen!).
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You’d think after all these years, the chuckleheads would begin to learn.
Guess not, huh?
Via: Khaosod English
15 April) Two ‘ladyboys’ have been arrested in Pitsanulok province and forced to apologise to local spirits for exposing their breasts during Songkran reveling.
The image of a group of ladyboys (transgenders) showing their breasts on a pick-up truck in the water fights festival have been widely shared on the internet, attracting many condemning comments on the social network.
Today the police said they have arrested Mr. Chartchai Si-Arwut, 23, and Mr. Warot Theesoongnoen, 21, in connection to the incident. According to the police, Mr. Chartchai and Mr. Warot exposed their breasts to the public as they were riding on their pick-up truck in Mueang district on 13 April.
Both suspects have been charged with indecent exposure and are set to be fined at 5,000 baht ($154 USD) for their offence. However, the police agreed to decrease their fines to 500 baht ($15.40 USD) per person.
Mr. Chartchai and Mr. Warot were also escorted to a shrine where they prayed to local spirits, begging for their forgiveness lest the spirits had been offended by their improper behaviour. (Hopefully, with any kind of luck, the spirits will waive the fines.)
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In addition, the police said they are still trying to locate and arrest a man who was photographed showing his penis to the crowd of Songkran revelers in Pitsanulok province.
CCTV footage collected from Pitsanulok town centre is being studied by the police officers to identify the man.
http://en.khaosod.co.th/detail.php?newsid=1397553133
TRULY is, AMAZING THAILAND!
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See more amazing art, HERE:
http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2158
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personal thought:
Pope Francis said, “Who am I to judge?”
After seeing this, I can’t help wonder if he is reconsidering.
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Via: Pattaya Daily News
at 5 p.m., arrests warrants were issued for two foreigners and a Thai ladyboy, after police investigations revealed ongoing molestations of Thai boys.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Kosol Phuavate, Deputy Commissioner, section 2, discovered that many homosexual foreigners were using a pimp in Pattaya to buy the sexual services of Thai boys. So he issued a directive to mobilize the detective police teams to collect evidence to obtain arrest warrants.
The operation was jointly led by Pol. Lt. Col. Passakorn Paijit, Deputy Superintendent; and Pol. Lt. Col. Ormsin Sukkarnkha, the expert investigation officer acting to help the Center of Protecting Children, Teenagers and Women, police station section 2.
Working with the police was Mr. Phalisorn Noja or teacher Ja, the director of the Center of Opposing for Human Trade and Violated Children, to assist in making the plan to arrest the suspects. The initial arrest was made by Pol. Capt. Arnon Infong, Deputy Inspector; and Pol. Sub. Lt. Varakorn Bannasit, Deputy Inspector.
The first suspect was identified as Mr. Karl Josef Ruppel, age 69, nationality German. He was arrested while sitting in front of a room in Soi 10, south Pattaya, Moo 10 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung.
He is charged with committing an obscenity with a child under age 15, according to the arrest warrant of Pattaya provincial court at 95/2556 dated February 1, 2013.
The warrant alleges that the suspect had met a 14-year-old boy in front of Chaimongkol temple market in south Pattaya and deceived the boy to come to his house, where he committed an obscenity involving oral sex, and then paid 200 THB to the boy. The incident occurred in the time period between December 15, 2012 and January 25, 2013. The defendant has denied the charges.
Police arrested the second suspect only a short distance away, while he was buying food at a shop in Soi 10 off south Pattaya road. The second suspect is a ladyboy accused of supplying Thai boys for the old foreign homosexuals.
He was identified as Mr. Rachan Punpleng or Runee, age 51, living in Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung. Mr. Rachan is accused of arranging for boys under the age of 15 for human trade involving obscenities committed against them, according to the arrest warrant of Pattaya provincial court at 93/2556 dated February 1, 2013.
A police investigation had revealed that Mr. Rachan is an aging ladyboy who had picked up a 12-year-old boy in front of a department store in south Pattaya, and took the boy to his house. Then Mr. Rachan made a phone call to an unidentified foreign man, “Brian,” to sell him the boy’s sexual services for 2,000 THB.
The foreigner Brian then came to the house to pick up the boy and take him back to his house to do the obscenity, for which Mr. Rachan received 1,000 THB. Mr. Rachan also denied all the charges.
Police then arrested the third suspect, identified as Mr. Andrew John Tracey or Jack, age 60, nationality British. He was arrested while sleeping in a house in Moo 1 Tambon Bang Saray, Amphur Sattahip.
Mr. Jack is accused of committing an obscenity with a boy under age 15 whether the child consented or not, according to the arrest warrant at 90/2556 dated February 1, 2013.
Mr. Phalisorn revealed that his center for protecting children from sexual abuse had been aware of Mr. Andrew for a long time, Officers of the center had followed up to watch for his behavior for more than 3 years.
They knew that Mr. Andrew would hang out in front of a Pattaya department store, to deceive young boys to come to his house to perform obscenities, and would pay them 300 to 500 THB each time.
Pol. Lt. Col. Ormsin said the arrests were carrying out the policy of the superior high rank officers, who have commanded the police from the Center of Protecting for Children, Teenagers and Women to conduct ongoing investigations involving the sexual violation of children, especially by foreigners who exhibit the behavior of homosexuals.
The police have made it a priority to track down and arrest sexual predators of children in order to assure the international organizations related to children and women that Thailand is taking the problem seriously to protect vulnerable youngsters from being exploited by predatory tourists.
Read more, HERE:
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2013/02/03/foreign-homos-and-ladyboy-pimp-targeted-thai-boys/
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I’ve had the good fortune to live in many far-away places; from Brazil to Tokyo, from London to the Middle East.
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’04 and ’05 I was working in Amman, Jordan; +ten-hour days, seven days a week, eight straight weeks, followed with twelve days off.
Anywhooo, I jus’ by chance happen to hear the Stones: “Time, time, time is on my side, yes it is”; and THEN I realized, NO it’s NOT.
So I QUIT, and ended a thirty-five year career in Construction Management.
Since August of 2005, I’ve been living in Chiang Mai (the Rose of the North), Thailand.
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My other, ‘HOME of the HEART’:
– the Pacific Northwest
Go M’s! -:)
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My FAMILY:
– I consider myself lucky in many ways, but none more so than . . .
http://jonsfamily.wordpress.com/
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a little bit of this, a lttle bit of that; a bit of …
– everything which don’t fit in the other three
living in the 'Land of Smiles' 