In Thailand, love, the exchange of affection, never takes place in public. Traditions, conventions and prohibitions restrict, holding hands is the utmost that is not considered obscene.
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The Thais judge such things clearly. If a woman shows herself half naked on the beach, she is a hooker. |
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| What is taken for granted here, is judged in Thailand by looking the other way. |
Public kissing? Unthinkable. On Valentine's Day punishable by law. Even within the family reunions, I have never seen couples kissing each other in all these years.
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| This is the Thai wedding fully grafted with ceremonies and rituals |
The registrar in Düsseldorf said, "You can kiss the bride now!"
Unthinkable at a Thai wedding. |
There is not a single Thai movie in which kissing takes place, certainly not passionately.
Internally. Movies with erotic scenes - such as "Basic Instinct" - are banned.
But the gigantic mendacity of this society and politics can be seen daily in the red light districts. Morality comes behind money!
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In the entire cultural history of the world it can be observed that where sexuality is restricted, interest in it increases, desire explodes, prohibitions are disregarded.
"No one likes to do what he is allowed to do,
what is forbidden, that makes us all hot," (Wolf Biermann)
Thailand's military chief and prime minister, Mr. Prayut, has called on authorities, soldiers and police to crack down on "outrages" such as public exchanges of affection on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day is a Christian celebration of love in memory of various martyrs named Valentine. Thailand is Buddhist, but Christian festivals like Christmas and Valentine's Day, which are about buying and giving, are very popular and kitsch and consumerism celebrate happily.
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Of course there are normal people in Thailand, and they want and they have sexuality. When that is suppressed, it creates lanes in areas that are sanctioned and have a halo. You find nudity everywhere in temples. And next door in our town in a Hatholian church. I laughed.
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| Adam and Eve in a Christian church near Pak Chong |
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| Painting in the Erawan Museum |
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| Temple figure at Wat Pimpa Ram, Pak Chong |
When the ban on pornography was abolished in Scandinavia (Denmark first) in 1968, sexual crimes declined in all areas.
In Thailand, pornography and prostitution are prohibited by law. The more they are consumed and practiced. Prostitution is a profitable industry in Thailand: the "red light" industry has an annual turnover of about $27 billion and generates about 14 % of GDP, according to estimates by the UN Labor Organization (ILO). About 28% of income in northern Thailand comes from women working as prostitutes in the cities and tourist centers. The governments and the people grin at this in Laughing Land.
By the way, one should not believe that prostitution in Thailand is fed by the tourists. More than 80% of the brothel visitors are Thais. According to a survey, more than 90% of all Thai men have brothel experience and 74% of all Thai men lost their "virginity" with a prostitute.
The result of the demonization of sex by uptight authorities is a surge in teenage and underage pregnancies every year. In addition, girls don't require the use of condoms: "If we expect boys to do that, they think we're too "progressive" and reject us."
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In Muslim countries, people also like to commemorate love on special days by giving chocolates, jewelry and flowers. But when this happens on Christian holidays, the lovers usually end up in jail.
Love between prohibition and repression
Thailand
In Thailand, Valentine's Day is not banned, but attention is paid to current laws such as the ban on exchanging affection in public.
Malaysia
Islamic officials in West Malaysia warn Muslims not to celebrate Valentine's Day, associating it with vice. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the celebration of romantic love is "not appropriate" for Muslims. On Valentine's Day 2011, Malaysian authorities arrested more than 100 Muslim couples for violating the Valentine's Day ban, with the aim of trying them in Sharia court.
https://www.hna.de/welt/malaysia-valentinstag-verbot-muslime-159
Indonesia
With more than 250 million inhabitants, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country. Sex before marriage is not forbidden, however. However, there are controls, raids, arrests, interrogations on Valentine's Day here too.
SPIEGEL online: 2018 "According to a report by the online portal Detik, police officers knocked on numerous hotel rooms. If they had not been opened, they would have tried to look through the window into the room. Police spokesman Joko Wiyono said, "We have confronted 22 couples, but searches are still ongoing." Valentine's Day has been banned for several years in Aceh province, where Sharia law prevails. Condoms have been confiscated from stores to prevent teenagers from having sex on Valentine's Day.
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/kriminalitaet/kondomkontrollen-am-valentinstag-in-indonesien-14877607.htm
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| SPIEGEL photo: Valentine's Day raid and arrests in Indonesia. |
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) had banned the sale of all Valentine's Day items in 2002 and 2008 and asked vendors to remove red-colored merchandise because Valentine's Day is a Christian holiday. This ban had created a black market for roses and wrapping paper. (Hahaha, "what is banned makes and all hot...")In 2012, more than 140 Muslims were arrested for celebrating Valentine's Day and all red roses were confiscated in the sale. The bans were abolished in 2018.
Private comment: We need holidays for celebrating and commemorating only in very rare cases - like my 75th birthday. I used to keep it that way too. I do not wait with giving and with love. Every day is good for it.
Luck and Manfred, Feb. 14, 2019, revised Feb. 14, 2022
