| |
I was alone and desperate,
the Sex-Tourist havens beckoned me with open arms.
~~~  ~~~
My culture holds all women to be not only inferior
— but expendable.
~~~~~~
Only 13 is my life story. At 13, I ran away from an impoverished, rural Thai village, only to become involved in the sex-tourist industry—meeting American and European men. Child prostitution was the only way that I could find to send money to my impoverished family. My entrance into this world was selling my virginity, for which I earned $1,200. I did this to make up for my father’s death—for which I was blamed, which occurred while he was searching for me. I also needed to pay for my sisters’ schooling so that they would never have to see sex-tourists as I did.
I spent five years in the sex-tourist industry in Thailand before
marrying
to go to Switzerland. That trip lasted only 12 days. Upon returning
to
Thailand, I met up with a former customer who took me to Germany where
I
worked in a massage parlor, while at the age of 19, I looked only 15
years
old, and received a premium from my customers.
A bad relationship in Germany led me to Sweden where I worked as a
stripper
for two years before returning to Thailand and writing my story. I am
now
living in England.
This book is written in my voice and will give you a new angle on what
it is
like to be born
a poor girl in rural Thailand. You will think my
thoughts,
see my views, feel my pain, and share my victory of leaving the
industry.
You will learn what it is like to be me. I am now working to raise
awareness about girls born into my situation, and to get them out of
the
industry.
Praise
for Lon’s life story
A highly recommended-read.
It is informative, damning and at times touching.
At the end you really feel like you know Lon.
www.Stickmanbangkok.com
~~~~~~
…is actually an engrossing story of a girl who ran away
from her home
in Isaan at age 13 to come to work in Bangkok.
I sincerely hope that this
story will help focus more attention
on the plight of disadvantaged Thai
women.
Kurt Heck, GoodwillBangkok
~~~~~~
She speaks with the powerful and determined voice
of an activist making
clear the injustice
that she and many other girls have suffered.
David Reid, geocities.com
~~~~~~
…the first book, to my knowledge, that tells about how
local (Thai) prostitutes
view their profession in general,
the sex tourists in particular.
Bernard Trink, Bangkok Post
~~~~~~
This book is well worth a read, even by Old Thai Hands.
www.bangkokatoz.com Mehkong Kurt
~~~~~~
…this is the best book on THAILAND I have ever read.
…finest of its genre
… probably that will ever be written…
I found the social commentary balanced,
accurate,
and
particularly telling from the personal point-of-view of
Lon.
A fine book.
www.thaivisa.com
~~~~~~
Had me in tears on my flight back from BKK.
www.phuket-info.com
~~~~~~~~~~
"Woman and child abuse is a rooted problem in Thai society.
The inferior will always be the victim of the superior.
It is the duty of all of us to 'keep our eyes open' and to help prevent
any kind of discrimination,
physical assault, any kind of abuse to
the inferior namely 'children and
women' whom we consider
vulnerable in Thai society."
Pavena Hongsakul
Pavena Foundation
~~~~~ ~~~~~
Dedication
This book is dedicated
to my two sisters,
Ying and Sai,
who never had to see sex-tourists as I did,
and to my father,
the only one who truly loved me.
~~~~~~~~~~
About the authors:
Julia Manzanares has served as an English-As-A-Foreign Language/
Intercultural Communication Instructor and Teacher-Trainer for the past
18
years with 12 years spent teaching abroad in East Asia, Southeast Asia,
and
the Middle East. She earned an M.A. in Psychology/Drama Therapy from
California State University, Los Angeles and holds Certificates in
TESOL and
Neuro-Linguistics.
Derek Kent earned his B.A. from U.C.L.A. and has been an
English-As-A-Foreign Language Instructor in the Middle East and
Thailand for
15 years. He is now involved in providing educational opportunities,
developing job and career training, and establishing a support center
for
disadvantaged young girls in Thailand.
~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
