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Racism in Thailand?

Written by Iron Balls McGinty

Thursday, 19 April 2007

Picture stolen from bangkokbob.net

Thailand Jumped the Shark brought a Bangkokpost article about racial discrimination to my attention, which is so unbelievable, that I just have to add my 50 cents to it as well.

Here is the background:

As part of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Thailand has to submit a report to the United Nations next year on racial discrimination in Thailand. The report is prepared under supervision of Justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanaku.

And here it comes: “Mr Jarun expressed confidence that the country has no problems related to racial discrimination, saying Thailand would be in the forefront of giving and protecting racial equality”

What the fuck? Does Mr. Jarun not watch television advertisements which suggest having dark skin is bad, has he not heard of the dreadful situation of alien workers and hilltribes in the north, and what about the South where the Thai government for many years tried to impose language and culture and the muslim community?

Thailand is definitely not on the “forefront of giving and protecting racial equality”. True, some of the racism stems from a rather naïve attitude towards dark skin colour, but nevertheless its racist to judge people depending on their skin.

Another worrying development has been the nationalism of the current regime. In order to justify the military coup it has often played the nationalistic card. Just think of the whole Singapore affair, including the satellites issue, foreign business law amendments and so on. Even though nationalism is not the same thing as racisms, it can be seen more as a partner in crime. Even on the Bangkokrecorder forum you can read stupid comments like “foreigners go home” more often recently.

Bangkokpost further writes: “The report will be examined by 18 international experts who, Mr Jarun said, will eventually endorse it if there is supporting information”.

Let’s hope these experts slap somebody’s ass with the report.

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Comments (40) >>

I do agree
written by John, July 27, 2008

Living here in Thailand is much more different than spending few weeks for holidays.At last you will strongly understand you are a second area people , there are Thais and there are people who are not Thai : Farang, Negro, etc...Regulations too is racist, so much racist.

...
written by Jennifer Winget, June 30, 2008

Even in India, those who have dark skins are treated really badly, so people can't just say that Thailand is racist.

There is racism everywhere!
written by Jennifer Winget, June 30, 2008

I don't understand why people are saying that all these nasty stuff about Thailand. There is racism everywhere! People from India are really racist to black people as well. The white tourists who visit Thailand are most defintiely not racist, otherwsie why wouldn't visit the place in the first place. Black people can be racist too!

Very Wrong Information!
written by Wayne, June 13, 2008

As one who receives lots of attention from Asian women (mostly Thai, Korean, and Vietamese) I can tell you that the sterotype that you speak of is simply untrue! It is a far gone conclusion that Black men are VERY popular with Korean Women, Thai women, Vietamese women, and even Japanese women! I have found that these women who, were raised in their native Countries are the ones that are not concerned so much with skin color.

It is the Asian women who have been "Westernized" that will sometimes stay away from men of color due to the false belief that White men will take care of them better. I cannot tell you how many times that I have said "No" to Asian women....and I am an African-American!

l wanted to find out if there is racism in bangkok?
written by chin, May 16, 2008

I am planning to go to bangkok on holiday,as l enjoy travelling an love to see other countries and how people live and there cultures but than l was told not to go,it not a good idea becoz people are racist over there and are blatant with it ... it shame to know that race is still a problem worldwide,what these small mind people need to know is... there are more serious and important problem in the world than the color of people skin.l wont be going there anymore l will go somewhere l can enjoy myself.. than where people who dont know me will find fault in me becoz of my skin color..what a disgrace

Stay Away From Thailand
written by Dravid, April 29, 2008

Thailand is a racist country. If you are brown skinned or from India, its advisable not to visit the country. The country is full of ugly fat white men whom are loosers in their own country. I think soon they would shove buddha out of the country becaues they may come to realise the chapati eating buddah is indian. He he

Most Thais Discriminate
written by Blackman in Thailand, April 20, 2008

Most of those ARE racist, but not all. The ones that are not racist are just ignorant because all they see is what the media shows them. Perception is reality.

That said, one only need turn on just about any soap opera or other show with a "black" character to find blatant racism. Half the Thais in the countryside are as dark or darker than me, but yet the shows have a fair-skinned Thai in blackface, nappy wig, and smudged lipstick to simulate big lips. No, sir...there is no racism here....

www.asianracism.blogspot.com
written by Asian Racism, November 01, 2007

for a in-depth commentary on asian racism goto www.asianracism.blogspot.com

by official personnels in thailand
written by myself, October 17, 2007

recently i met a person who is indian born in thailand suffered a racist act from thai counselor of particular embassy he was been mistreated and discriminated.
just because he was not pure thai but born in thailand thatz why.im not saying that thailand is racist but some thais are racist as many of you said racist do exist in every corner of the world so it does exist in thailand also.

...
written by me, June 09, 2007

I have tons of black friends and I think black is beautiful...I personally think being too pale or too pink makes me look like a baby rat..I would rather have colour. I just want clear skin, is that a crime?? anyways back to the topic...I think people of every colour can be beautiful...to me it is about their soul than what they look like...discrimination exisits in every shape and form everywhere - it is not even bound to just race...we all, ...all of us!!..need to lead an example

...
written by me, June 09, 2007

Racism exists everywhere my dear, I am thai, asian...and don't you think I get discriminated too? I have worked and lived in a few countries, and honestly I have never felt dicriminated on as much as dealing with some UK foreigners who I worked with in thailand. To a certain degree - Thai people get paid much more less, thai people get used for favors...and we get taken advantage of..not to say that there aren't good foreign people - there are tons..but I am saying dicrimination happens everyhwere..Honestly most peopel here do not like dark skin, we also do not have a history of bringing african slaves to our country..so we have no understanding of tolleration towards darker skined people..people can be mean to what we don't understand.

Interesting Comment
written by Taharqa, May 06, 2007

I found the blogg interesting in my small opinion its more about power than colour white skin is associated with success! Financial, sexual and political now China is on the rise some Thais are claming Chinese ancestry strange behaviour if you ask me. Alas if only the last Great West African Empire of Songhay had decent home made guns and cannon, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I think the race/racism is a trick but unfortunately a very convincing trick. I thought about going to Thailand but, me with my strong northern English accent would be welcome but my black skin and Jamaican heritage may not be. I’ll wait till more people in Thailand get a little more politically mature there are other places I can visit to spend my hard earned money.

to Helda
written by disgusting rant, April 23, 2007

can't u see my point? I was trying to say racism is everywhere and you can talk about it for ages, not that i don't care, but my point here is-having dark skin is not a problem here like those you people tried to paint it to a big deal.

about the picture, hey, don't be silly. any picture would get people's attention anyway because it's the only picture to look at on this page. But using the illustration that not really correspond to the content, only need to fire the topic like this one is so---tasteless. lowest form of wit, i have to say.

...
written by helga, April 23, 2007

@disgusting rant
you have probably made the best comment on here:

racism is in every country. im sure everybody on this page knows this. And thats exactly why it should be pointed out that the report to the UN states basically that there is no racism whatsoever in Thailand.
There are definitely worse countries than good old Thailand but here and there you havbe it too (and like i said, its nothing special, it doesnt make Thailand worse than others in any way).

tha darkie toothpaste is maybe not 100% fitting but it looks to me that it is meant to be provoking and to fire on discussion (hey it worked, look at how many posts are here about the darkie toothpaste.

A Legacy of Racism
written by skinny, April 23, 2007

Check out http://www.bangkokpost.com/190407_News/19Apr2007_news22.php
It's an article by a Thai historian that sheds some light on the issue of racism here, and some of the possible causes.

...
written by wee, April 23, 2007

the pictures in this blog
Darky (Darly) is made in america
Black Man is made in China

the products produced in Thailand usually using some name like Prawn Catcher, Three Chefs, Fat Boy.

why u pick those pics to illustrated the article whe i can't see any thing related to 'Racism in Thailand?'. Are you a racist, people at Bkkrec.

after all, I think the guy who wrote this article is definietly a racist.

...
written by Jane, April 23, 2007

i mean, it's a touchy subject, you know. it's not like talking about parties.

...
written by Jane, April 23, 2007

Bangkok Recorder is a racism website itself. Judged by the attitude of those comment manias in forum. Allowing this rant on the first page is prroved. how can u talk about this subject when you don't seem to understand the problem well enough.

Bottom Line
written by NIPs, April 22, 2007

DJ Word:
"Purism is an old fashioned concept, a bit like racism" - Meat Katie

I dont know if this rant topic thread blog whatsoeva goes here, or if the editor bla bla, but this discussion was really JUICY. Chau!

engrained in the media (mind?)
written by drone, April 21, 2007

In either Guru or BK magazine last year there was an interview with DJ Vortex out of SIngapore.
The Thai reporter/journalist asked him something like:
'So what do you think of being an Asian DnB DJ? Do you think Asian DnB DJs will be represented more in the world in the future?'
He answered something along the lines of:
'Race doesnt mean anything/has nothing to do with it. Its all about the music.'

Also p.s. to the bangkokrecorder bloggers): We all saw what happened to Mr. Ian Proud recently... beware! Yeah, probably takes some Iron Balls :P

...
written by babe, April 21, 2007

Oh dear,
try to be asian and live your life outside asia (somewhere not in the capital cities) and you'll stop talking about thais are racist.

...
written by Lagrange, April 21, 2007

I think there are some racist tendencies in Thai society, but so are in many other countries. The question is how a government deals with them. Are you prentending there are no problems, or are you trying to raise awareness?

In Germany, right before the World Cup, there have been problems with racism in certain areas of eastern Germany. Instead of pretending nothing happened, there was a discussion with very different opinions being raised (much as on here), which lead to increased awareness of the situatuion.

photo misleading
written by thailand dude, April 21, 2007

the supplied photo is misleading. darkie toothpaste was long ago changed to "darlie" and the image altered to be less offensive. however there still is a popular line of janitorial products called "black man." but you can't blame the thais for this - there are virtually no people of african heritage in thailand. it's no more racist than the countless us tv shows and films that depict thailand as a place to get laid for cheap.

...
written by Jang, April 21, 2007

Bangkok Recorder seem to focus on this kind of culture difference topic pretty much recently. is it a way to promote your website? cheap trick.

disgusting rant
written by Jang, April 21, 2007

this discussion made me LAUGH. i have brown skin and i'm happy, have a good job and have never had problem at all about getting a job whatsoever. getting a better treat is not about skin color it's more about how clean you are. If you get a stinky shirt for a job interview, then...you know. common sense. people try to get a whiter skin is the same concept with those who using pills to loose their weight. even some japanese or americans using whitenning lotion too.

I've been to Eu and Us before and i would say rasicm is probably in every country in the world(also in this forum!). You can pick millions of random cases to discuss here if you want. And no, Thais don't think dark skin is undesirable. People with a face full of pimples are undesirable too, arent they? No, not to everybody. Don't think for the whole country.

...
written by Matt, April 20, 2007

Well, this is a blog post, it's not a full article. The author is entitled to write what he wants here. You can see quite clearly that it's a blog post.

While applying whitening notion is not racist, obviously, could you not argue that the emphasis placed on having whiter skin and selling these products through massive marketing campaigns somehow fuels a social mindset that believes that whiter skin is superior? Could this then not lead to forms of racism, as you occasionally see in the entertainment industry? Perhaps this creates a certain hierarchy within Thai society. I don't think the author's intentions are bad here, although I'd be wary of linking nationalism with racism too heavily.

Racism
written by Bond, April 20, 2007

Racism is a policy of discrimination. Discrimination in Thailand is very much evident when applying for jobs, dealing with the government, trying to gain acceptance to university, paying for things, and so on. The issue is that's there's no open policy of discrimination, but in practice it's widely accepted to disciminate against people based on their race.

contradicts another article in the same issue of the same paper
written by skinny, April 20, 2007

http://www.bangkokpost.com/190407_News/19Apr2007_news22.php
This link talks about some problems with racism due to the name of Thailand instead of Siam. Interesting read. It's called The racist Legacy of a Name.
Check it out.

German Embassy
written by jonas, April 20, 2007

The German Embassy helps only other Germans in need. That's not Racism, but logical nationalism. The Japanese Clubs in Thailand are IMO on the edge between racism and nationalism. A chinese who speaks perfect Japanese might be able to enter. A caucasian only after prooving his language skills. Its somethings difficult to see the difference between Racism and Nationalism.

Yes it is a rant
written by Aaron, April 20, 2007

Yes it is a rant and sometimes a rant needs a bit of clarification. Important points sometimes get missed in the empassioned enfilade.
#1: Whitening: Not necessarily racist to want to lighten your skin but the common Thai view that black skin and black people are ugly and generally undesirable could be considered racist. Just ask your average Thai woman if they would ever consider dating a black man. Their response is usually one of disgusted amazement that you would even ask such a question. #2: National Parks and private Amusement Parks: There is a different charge for white people and Asians. If you are white you can expect to pay 10 times as much as a Thai. If you are Chinese, no need to worry. #3: Burmese, Laotions: The Thai exploitation and relevant attitudes toward these races is supremely derogatory. They are not seen as human beings. I have lived in Thailand for 3 years and seen countless examples of this blatant racism.

Its not an article
written by Iron Balls McGinty, April 20, 2007

Yes you are right this would be a bad article, but you are missing the point. It's not an article, it a blog. Rant yes, article no.

I don’t criticize people who want their skin colour to be different (i.e. put on makeup or get tanned), but it’s more than that. People do judge other people based on their skin colour, this is racist yes.

What really made me write this rant, is not that there are problems related to racism in Thailand (as in many other countries around the world), its that these officials are unable to admit there is a problem. Just pretending everything is fine.....that’s what pisses me off.

Appearance
written by Mona, April 20, 2007

I agree with others here: very unprofessional.

If a man from Germany likes blonde women - is that racism?
If a white boy blames a black player on his favorite baseball team for a losing streak - is that racism?

No, of course not. That's OK. Just common sense right? "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." a wise man once said. (guess who)

"what is something else" - yes indeed. It includes culture, aesthetics, apperance and status. These are strong values here. You can agree with them or not but to bring simplistic views on racism from another culture and apply them to Thailand is really ignorant in a colonialist "we know what's best for you" sort of way.

...
written by open your minds, April 20, 2007

The desire to have white skin is also linked to class. It is not just for cosmetic purposes that Thais want to look white and the majority of media commercials reflect this desire to be rich, white and hi so. It is also a desire to show chinese heritage. You cannot separate the race and class elements. Please don't tell me that dark skinned Thais do not feel racially inferior. They are also considered poor and low class.

...
written by Snor, April 20, 2007

Totally agree with Wic - this isn't an article, it's a rant and belongs in the forum.

There is tons of it
written by Loveseesnocolour, April 20, 2007

The thing is that in Thailand there is so much discrimination - against nationalities, tribes, refugees, disabled, gender, age - that it is difficult to say what is racism and what is something else.

I am pretty sure that if you go out in Bangkok with two Africans, you'll get into less clubs than if you were to go out with two Caucasians. That's racism.

If you are a caucasian native english speaker, you'll get paid better and find a job easier than an ethnic asian native english speaker. That's racism.

People lieing about their heritage, claiming they have chinese ancestors - even though they don't - is a sign for racism.

The image of hilltribe peoples in the media Thailand is often racist.

Thai studies on the "thai race" and how it is closer to the "chinese" and the "japanese" race than other south east asian nations - those are racist.

Using whitening cream is not racist. If you feel you must look more Korean/Chinese to have better chances in your job - that maybe is.

...
written by beauty, April 20, 2007

i see lots of white girls put foundation on their face to make it whiter. is that a racism?

also, again, at the beach, i saw lots of white people lying in the sun to get tan. is that racism?

and then, some thai people using whittening lotion. OMG! it's RACISM!

funny how the writer seem to be confused between 'make-up' and 'racism' and even more funny to see the editor of this website let this piece article with ultra-weak point displayed on their blog. If you want to talk about racism-that's fine. But this piece of article is so unprofessional.

So, both of you, writer and editor--go read more books, kids.

...
written by beauty, April 20, 2007

if i'm thai and have brown skin and i go to the beach to get more tan. is that racism?

Japanese racism in Thailand
written by Farang Dude, April 20, 2007

The Japanese run clubs in Thailand exclusive to the Japanese. Any other race is not allowed in. That is definitely racism in Thailand even if the Thais themselves do not do it. Other clubs admit farangs and Japanese, but turn away SE Asians at the door. That is racism. All countries have some form of racism. To say it is non-existant is being in denial about the problem. I must add Thailand is better than most places.

Does racism extend to the farang two tier pricing in Thailand?
written by Farang Dude, April 20, 2007

Even if you are a resident of Thailand, if you have white skin, you are charged more for things than if you have brown skin. Is that racism? Do ethnic Laotians and Cambodians get equal treatment to the Chinese and ethnic Thais? I doubt they would say yes.

this is bad article
written by Wic, April 20, 2007

I don't know why BKKrec let this article on. This kind of rant should be in forum, not in the main aricle. what sort of journalist you are?

Those people who are using whittening lotion have nothing to do with racism. they're using it because they want to look cleaner, brighter or richer-and that's all. It's the same concept with white people using tanning cream. Do they want to be asian or black people? i don't think so.

Take a look back in two hundred years ago before whittening cream got invented. People using some kind of herbs (like Kamin, i don't know what is it called in english) to scrubb their skin so they would look sweeter. Not only in Thailand. Look at almost every country in the word--people are always do something with their skin color. not just because they want to change their race. it's just cosmatic!

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