Walking the streets of Thai cities in 2016, in addition to the charming Southeast Asian scenery, you can also see a not-so-harmonious scene: from time to time, some homeless people will sit on the street and beg passers-by, the vast majority of them are from Europe and the United States, and the fair skin color of the Thai crowd is particularly conspicuous.
As time went on, the group seemed to grow larger and larger, not only giving tourists a bad impression, but also having a certain impact on local security in Thailand.
They have nothing to do all day, and in the evening they spend the money they have begged to spend the day and drink, and over time they have become a "cancer" in the eyes of the Thai people.
As we all know, the social welfare of developed countries in Europe and the United States is very high, as long as there is a stable job, daily food, clothing, housing and travel are basically not a problem.
So why would this group of people linger in Thailand, far away in Southeast Asia, preferring to eat on the street rather than return to work in China?
01 "Eastern Hawaii"
It all starts with a somewhat peculiar thai city called Pattaya, located on the southern tip of Thailand, an hour and a half drive from the capital, Bangkok.
Pattaya is somewhat similar to the mainland Shenzhen City, once just a small fishing village by the sea, and later because of its geographical location, it was classified as a special economic zone by the state, and has developed rapidly since then.
The difference is that Compared to other cities in Thailand, Pattaya is somewhat "different".
The vast majority of the Thai people believe in religion, and Thailand has become a theravada religious shrine, but Pattaya has developed by relying on the erotic industry.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States launched a war against Vietnam, and due to the distance between the two countries, the United States established a military base in Pattaya, Thailand, as a supply depot for the rear.
Countless soldiers from North America landed from Pattaya, and their arrival changed the city dramatically.
As the war went on, soldiers who had retired from the front lines certainly had to find an opportunity to enjoy and relax, and for these young and strong soldiers, the best way to relax was probably to go to the entertainment place and stay up all night.
The number of soldiers stationed in Pattaya is large, sometimes reaching 60,000 or 70,000, and the huge consumer market has stimulated changes in Pattaya's industry.
Countless entertainment venues specifically for Western soldiers have sprung up, where they receive the highest treatment.
They may have experienced nine deaths in the dense jungle the day before, wary of bullets that they don't know where they would come from, and then in a panic they retrieved a life.
They don't know if the god of luck will take care of themselves again in a few days, so they simply give up thinking about those things and just think about grasping every minute and second of their lives in the moment.
So they were very generous and tried not to leave themselves with any regrets.
And Thailand originally the price is not high, in the face of these generous guests, naturally they are held to an extraordinary position.
The U.S.-Vietnam War lasted for more than a decade, and these years were enough to completely change Pattaya and make those shadows clearly visible today.
Nowadays, if you travel to Pattaya, you will occasionally encounter some mixed-race children with different appearances, and the genes left behind by them are the best testimony to that era.
After the end of the war, most of the U.S. troops withdrew from Pattaya, but it still remains to land here two or three times a year.
However, compared with most of the troops stationed here in the past, Pattaya's consumer demand has obviously dropped a lot, which has also caused the city to fall into an "economic crisis" for a while.
The arrogance and generosity of Westerners have benefited many local people, who of course hope that this life can be sustained, and from the perspective of this war event, tourism can indeed boost the country's economy.
Thailand, due to its strategic location, has its own conditions for the development of tourism, and since then it has launched the "Country of Smiles" publicity strategy, attracting a large number of tourists to come to visit.
Whether it is a small trader doing business or a passerby on the street, as long as tourists are in need, ask them for help, and the locals will face it with a cheerful and sincere smile.
Low prices, coupled with a friendly shopping atmosphere, the reputation of the "Country of Smiles" spread farther and farther, and in addition to the American troops who have been here, there are more Westerners who have come here.
02 Paradise for the "white man"
Perhaps because Pattaya's history is unique, many Thai girls prefer Western men, and it is a kind of pride for them to be able to walk the streets arm-in-arm with whites.
They may not delve into what kind of work the man is doing in his country, what is the purpose of coming to Thailand, and why he is staying here and refusing to leave. Compared to these things, they seem to like only the skin color of the other party.
So for some Western men with little income and little social status in their own country, it's a "paradise" for them.
They come to Thailand to enjoy the natural beauty and cheap food, as well as the warm and beautiful Thai girls.
The price of ordinary meals and beer here may be only half the price of their country, and the comfortable tropical monsoon wind is so drunk that it is almost impossible to think about.
At night, Pattaya will show its truest appearance, and the neon signs of all the high-rise streets will be lit up, illuminating the place like daylight.
Enthusiastic girls can be seen everywhere on the road, they don't mind showing off their hot figures, and they may smile and ask passers-by if they want to have a drink together.
Many white people can't refuse this temptation, as long as they nod their heads in agreement, then the "fall" behind it is very easy.
Their skin color and facial features are the best signs, and sometimes they don't even have to pay too much to experience the treatment they have never enjoyed in their own country.
Some people have been very proud of the reporter's visit, claiming that because I am a European and American, it is very popular, and even some girls are willing to take the initiative to spend money on him.
But these people don't have much savings, and it won't be long before they run out of money to travel to Thailand, and because they are already so immersed in this life, they are reluctant to return to their country.
At this time, some people may be a little more diligent and will go to local Thai restaurants and other shops to do some odd jobs, but some people are not willing to pay any labor and only want to live a comfortable and comfortable life.
Even those who are willing to work odd jobs to earn living expenses will not be long before they find that the income from such work is very low, far less than the hourly wage in Western countries.
Because Thailand attracts tourists with low prices, this also means that traders take the route of small profits and high sales, and low prices lead to people's incomes are not high, and naturally workers will not be given high wages.
So these whites will think of other ways to ask for help, they will find their own country's embassy in Thailand to ask for relief, and then continue to get by in Thailand with the subsidies given by their own country.
If you can't afford a house, you can sleep on the side of the road, thailand has a relatively high temperature all year round, if it is a slightly colder weather, they will use whatever thing to build a shelter for themselves.
Other whites, clutching a rusty guitar, sit on the side of the road and sing two sentences, believing that their actions are not "begging" but more of a free performance art.
In addition to their desire for a rich entertainment life, another reason why they stay here is that Thailand is safe enough.
Even if they sleep on the streets, they don't need to worry about their lives being in danger, there will be no sudden terrorist incidents, and they won't hear the sound of shootings.
03 The rise of "begging" tourism
As the number of white tramps on the streets of Thailand increases, it is possible that some Westerners have heard of someone who has had an intersection with themselves and has not returned to Thailand for a long time, and has lived there comfortably even if he does not work.
There was a middle-aged uncle from the United States, whose fathers participated in the U.S.-Vietnam War, and told him how charming pattaya nights were, which made him yearn for Thailand when he was a child.
Later, he came to Thailand as he wished, wandering the seaside of Pattaya all day, ready to start a new encounter.
As long as someone talks to him, he will most likely talk about how satisfied he is with the current state of life and has planned to spend the rest of his life here.
In recent years, a form of travel known as "begging" tourism has sprung up in Europe and the United States, and the protagonists are, of course, a group of people who have no savings and want to go out and see the world.
They may not even be able to afford airfare, carrying only a simple bag along the way, and all the expenses are "borrowed" from passers-by.
The most commonly used phrase in their mouths is: I don't want reality to stop me from moving forward, I hope you can help me achieve my dreams.
Although they don't know where the next meal is after eating, they believe that they can always meet good people who are willing to help.
Of course, in the eyes of many people, this is a complete moral kidnapping, so they are ignored, but the Thai people's reputation for hospitality and enthusiasm still makes them often help these people.
Locals may begin to think that these outsiders are really in trouble, and will sincerely encourage them to work hard to get through it, and everything will pass.
Over time, however, everyone has discovered that a considerable number of these people may be just lazy and lazy, under the guise of deceiving empathetic people.
The longer they stay in Thailand, the louder the discontent of the people, and the Thai government has to find a way to deal with it.
Under Thai law, begging along the streets is illegal, and in serious cases, it can even be punished with imprisonment.
But even if some beggars are caught, they will insist that they are not begging, and instead use words such as "wandering" and "enjoying life" to glorify their behavior.
Even if these people are arrested and locked up for a period of time, they will still be the same when they come out, and they will not be restrained because of this.
And life in prison is not difficult for them, at least there is a shelter from the wind and rain.
If the Thai police saw these beggars during street patrols, they would immediately get out of the car to verify their passports, and if they found that their visas had expired, they would contact the embassy of their country to find a way to repatriate them.
Faced with this practice of the Thai police, beggars also have their own countermeasures.
They deliberately lost or even tore up their passports so that the police would not know which country he came from, and then they could continue to live there in peace.
As a last resort, the police also distribute leaflets around some of Thailand's top attractions to warn tourists not to help these people, but with so many tourists coming to Thailand every year, this practice still has a small effect.
epilogue
Nowadays, the white beggar group is growing in Thailand, which has had a negative impact on many aspects of the local tourism economy and is a problem that the government has been struggling with.
They have also tried to contact the embassies of Western countries, but due to the lack of passports and other identification information, almost no embassies are willing to come out and claim it, after all, repatriation is not very good for their country's reputation.
These beggars not only contribute nothing to Thailand's economic development, but also consume the money of Thai taxpayers, and indeed have slowly evolved into a "cancerous" existence.