Tips and general info
Do not use ATMs. Check exchange rates MoneyGram: send money to yourself and pick it up cash at a local bank where they have a MoneyGram service. Also Check whether there is a promotion on Western Union. Send money to yourself and use cash whenever possible. You save the exchange rate rip off. As of June 2026, you save between €20 and €40 off a 20,000 B withdrawal.
From Suvranbhumi to Jomtien (south Pattaya station: a direct bus.
From Suvranbhumi to Don Mueang: a free shuttle if you have a flight ticket/boarding pass.
From Don Mueang Airport to Suvranbhumi: a free shuttle if you have a flight ticket/boarding pass. At Don Mueang on the fourth floor you can have nice meals with prices you may never see at any airport.
From Don Mueang Airport to north Pattaya
Go to Mo Chit: Exit the terminal and catch the A1 Bus at Gate A1-4 (pay on the bus approx. ฿30), which departs every 5–20 minutes and takes you directly to the Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal (Chatuchak). It is the last stop.
Mo Chit to Pattaya: Inside Mo Chit, head to the ticket counters (e.g., Counter 34 on the first floor) and buy a ticket for the Roong Reuang Coach heading to north Pattaya (around ฿158). The bus runs regularly every hour and the journey takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.
The country
65/71 million, aging population. Thailand is facing a severe fertility crisis, with its fertility rate dropping to approximately 0.8 to 1.2 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1. This decline is driven by the high cost of living, delayed marriages, and changing lifestyles among young adults, leading to rapid demographic aging and a shrinking population.
The Tai people are believed to have originated from the Äiį»n BiĆŖn Phį»§ region since the 5th century.
Major Ethnic Minority Groups
Thai-Chinese (Sino-Thai): ~9–10 million (~13–15%). One of the largest and most socio-economically influential Chinese diaspora communities in the world.
Thai-Malay (Patani Muslims): ~1.5 million (~2–2.5%). Concentrated primarily in the southernmost border provinces (Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat), predominantly practicing Islam.
Northern Khmer (Khmer Leu): ~1.3–1.4 million (~2%). Indigenous Austroasiatic populations living near the Cambodian border in provinces like Surin and Buriram.
Burmese / Bamar: ~1 million (~1.3–1.5%). Primarily comprised of economic migrants, laborers, and displaced refugees along the western border.
Muslims
The actual number of Muslims living in Thailand is between 3.5 million and 7.5 million people. They make up anywhere from 5% to 12% of Thailand’s overall population, making Islam the country's second-largest religion after Buddhism.
In the southernmost provinces (Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Satun), where the majority of Thai Muslims live, most people work in primary industries. In Bangkok and surrounding central provinces, Thai Muslims are highly visible in commerce and retail. A growing number of Muslims work in civil service, public schools, and corporate sectors like commercial banking.
In Europe Islamophobia often stems from a fear that incoming Muslim immigrants will not assimilate into secular or historically Christian European cultures. It frequently centers around visible markers of faith, like the hijab, or the construction of mosques. In Thailand Muslims are not immigrants; they have been part of the region's fabric for centuries. Instead, tension stems from a strict cultural definition of "Thai-ness"—a state ideology traditionally built on three pillars: Nation, King, and Buddhism. When conservative factions emphasize that a "true" Thai must be Buddhist, it implicitly positions Thai Muslims as perpetual "outsiders" or guests in their own country, rather than equal citizens.
When violent incidents occur in the south, domestic media coverage has historically reinforced stereotypes, generalizing the actions of insurgent groups to the broader, peaceful Thai Muslim population. On Thai social media platforms, anti-Muslim rhetoric occasionally spikes. Conservative Buddhist factions spread conspiracy theories about a "Muslim takeover" or claim the Thai government disproportionately accommodates halal food infrastructure and Islamic schooling over Buddhist institutions.
Despite these systemic friction points, day-to-day life in most of Thailand is remarkably peaceful. Unlike parts of Europe where visibly Muslim individuals face frequent street-level harassment, Muslims in central and urban Thailand (like Bangkok and Chiang Mai) generally live, work, and practice their faith with a high degree of social harmony. The Thai state also officially recognizes Islamic holidays, funds major mosques, and integrates Muslim political leaders into mainstream governance. The prejudice that does exist is localized, political, and defensive—driven more by fear of southern separatism than a widespread hatred of Islam itself.
Political-Economy
All constitutions since 1932 ‘revolution’ state that the politics is conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, but the de facto form of government has ranged from military dictatorship to electoral democracy. The military is deeply entrenched in politics.
The economy of Thailand is heavily export-dependent, with exports accounting for more than two-thirds of gross domestic product (GDP). Based on 2025–2026 data, Thailand’s biggest export category is electrical machinery and equipment(including computers, circuits, and appliances.
Wealth Inequality: While Thailand scores incredibly well in eradicating absolute poverty, it suffers from severe income distribution issues. The country ranks as one of the most unequal economies in ASEAN, with the top 10% of households holding over half of the national wealth. .
As of 2021 data, Thailand was cited as one of the most unequal countries in the world in terms of wealth distribution. Earlier reports (e.g., Credit Suisse 2016-2018) noted that 1% of the population controlled over 58–67% of the wealth, placing it at or near the top of global wealth concentration lists.
Data from late 2025 shows Thailand remains among the top-heavy countries, with the richest 10% holding roughly 52% of the total income. However, the country is ranked after Spain and Germany according to this website ranking.
Thailand recorded the highest income-based inequality in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region and ranked 13th out of 63 countries with available income Gini coefficients (43.3% in 2021) (Arayavechkit et al., 2023). Income inequality can cause stagnant growth of the low-income household (Yang et al., 2020), constrain domestic demand (Phumma and Vechsuruck, 2022), limit social mobility (Patmasiriwat and Orsuwan, 2024), and can even weaken political stability (Phongpaichit and Baker, 2015). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264999326002117
Isan region: Despite holding 33% of the population, the region generates only about 10% of Thailand's national GDP, which heavily drives the localized multidimensional and income poverty discussed earlier. Because of the local wealth gap, millions of people from Isan regularly migrate to Bangkok or eastern industrial zones for work, meaning the actual number of ethnic Isan people living across Thailand is much higher than the regional census reflects.
There is a direct, long-standing pipeline connecting the economic conditions of the Isan region to the hospitality and adult entertainment industries in Pattaya and Bangkok. This is not random; it is the structural result of specific historical, financial, and cultural factors.
An entry-level retail or agricultural job in Esan might pay 9,000 to 12,000 Baht (~$250–$330 USD) a month. In contrast, independent sex work or entertainment jobs in a major tourism hub like Pattaya can generate that same amount in days, offering a path to rapid upward mobility.
In Thai culture, particularly in rural Isan, children are expected to practice Katanyu (filial piety)—meaning they bear a deep moral obligation to financially support their aging parents and extended family. Women frequently carry the brunt of this expectation, driving them to seek the highest-yielding work available to send remittances home for houses, medical bills, and schooling.
A high proportion of women entering the nightlife industry are single mothers. Lacking a secondary income and facing minimal welfare support or flexible employment options in rural villages, the entertainment sector becomes a pragmatic financial survival strategy.
The connection between Isan and the sex industry actually dates back to the Vietnam War era(1960s–1970s. The United States military operated several massive "Rest and Recreation" (R&R) airbases directly inside Isan (such as in Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, and Korat). Concurrently, Pattaya developed as the primary coastal R&R hub for troops. This established the initial migration networks and labor pipelines between northeastern women and Western clientele that persisted long after the military left.
According to researchers at Khon Kaen University, a growing percentage of women traveling to tourist zones are bypassing traditional sex work. They are utilizing legal employment, establishing standard service-industry businesses, or transitioning directly into international marriage migration.
Language
Thai is the most spoken of over 60 languages of Thailand by both number of native and overall speakers. Over half of its vocabulary is derived from or borrowed from Pali, Sanskrit, Mon and Old Khmer. It is a tonal and analytic language.
A Thai text is characterised by complete lack of punctuation and spaces between words. The Thai script has no capital letters. Every single letter in a sentence remains the exact same size, regardless of whether it is a name, the beginning of a sentence, or a title. Names are almost always preceded by a title or a prefix that tells the reader a proper noun is coming.
Education
As of early 2026, the higher education landscape in Thailand consists of a slightly higher number of public institutions compared to private ones, though the ratio is relatively balanced in terms of quantity. However, public universities dominate in terms of student enrollment.
The highest fees at Thai public universities generally belong to international, medical, and specialized postgraduate programs. These can range from ฿300,000 to over ฿1,200,000 (~$8,500 to $34,000 USD) per year, with the highest costs seen at top institutions like Chulalongkorn and Mahidol Universities.
The lowest fees at a Thai public university are found at Ramkhamhaeng University (RU), an open-admission public university. starting at about $150 to $200 USD (approx. 5,000 to 7,000 THB) per academic year.
Thailand drives on the left-hand side primarily due to early historical influence from British trade and engineering in the 19th and early 20th centuries, which established the precedent for road and railway construction. This practice was reinforced to align with neighboring territories, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar, which were under British influence’.
Key Public Holidays in Thailand (2026/General):
- New Year's Day: January 1
- Magha Puja: Typically February or March (Full moon)
- Chakri Memorial Day: April 6
- Songkran Festival: April 13–15
- National Labour Day: May 1
- Coronation Day: May 4 (2026)
- Visakha Bucha Day: Typically May or June
- Asanha Bucha/Buddhist Lent: Typically July
- King Vajiralongkorn's Birthday: July 28
- Queen Sirikit's Birthday (Mother's Day): August 12
- King Bhumibol Memorial Day: October 13
- Chulalongkorn Day: October 23
- King Bhumibol Birthday (National Day): December 5
- Constitution Day: December 10
- New Year's Eve: December 31
Impression/observations: Pattaya
Population of the city:≈ 350,000. The metropolitan area: a million or more.
Safety is guaranteed here albeit what the news might report of this or that crime. For four months I never felt that I have to be careful with my wallet and shoulder bag. Except some rare instances during Songkran festival, I never saw a Thai fighting or arguing with another Thai or a customer shouting or abusing a member of staff.
On the collective taxi: An American man from Alaska in his 70 with a Thai woman. He speaks Thai with her! I find it impressive that you learnt Thai, I said to him. “I was forced,” he retorted.
At CafƩ Amazon: A Spanish man in late 40s early 50s with a Thai girl that could be of his daughter's age. They were conversing through a translation tool. He mentioned 'dinero' at least four times in two minutes. He reminded me of the 67-year-old woman from the north, who told me how a few Thai girls look at a Western man as 'an ATM'.
CafĆ© Amazon (comfortable). A state-owned chain of coffee shops in South-east Asia (See wikipedia). Its prices is lower than most of other cafĆ©s. As of 2026 the minimum daily wage in Pattaya is 400 Bahts. The average daily wage of a bartender is ฿ 510 per day. With few exceptions, a latte costs 80 to 110 in the city centre. CafĆ© Amazon prices are 20/30 Bahts less.
Ratanakom market: a huge market of mostly fruits, but some stands selling vegetables and household items. It generally cheaper than other places, but not cheaper than those Isuzu cars. The latter sell very few kinds of fruits though.
The sheer number of massage parlours and the women and young girls sitting in front of the shop immersed into their phones. Sometimes one of them grabs your arm or even your private, desperately asking you to get in for a message. So many of this type of business with very few customers. So many potentials wasted, I say to myself, since these women spend most of the day on their phone. They survive in the low season because the women do not receive a fixed salary, bit a commission and the rent is very low.
In a sense Pattaya can be called ‘a city of old Western men’, many of the them, for the convenience mentioned above, and similar to ‘friends with benefits’ culture in Britain, have Thai women. Some of then have a carer (a nurse, generally a woman) looking after them. This is an entirely self-funded private care, including private medical care and care facilities for seniors. They can have either a caregiver to help with daily needs or hire a skilled caregiver whose cost is higher.
The sheer number of white Westerners, mostly British, sitting at the front of bars drinking beer most of the day. A few, if not most of them, with big bellies and look unhealthy. A few white Westerners have 'girlfriends' of different ages. I venture to say at least half of the old white men have a Thai partner/girlfriend. In a city of 350,000 people, long term foreigner residents count between 40,000 and 60,000. Is having a Thai woman the 'best' bridge to getting a long-resident permission? Although there are a few Russians men, fewer of them are with Thai women. The answer is not one-way. A few Thai women seek financial security and stability with a financially-secure men in an unsecured social context of a middle-economy country.
According to Google AI, “relationships between Thai women and white Western men are driven by a mix of socioeconomic factors, cultural differences, and mutual attraction. Key reasons include financial security, a preference for older partners, and the perception that Western men treat women with higher levels of equality and respect.
“Thailand is a developing country where the wealth gap can be quite significant. For some Thai women, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds or rural areas, marrying or dating a Western man offers the promise of a higher standard of living, better support for their extended families, and financial security.
“In Western cultures, significant age gaps in relationships are often viewed with skepticism, but this is less taboo in Thailand. Thai culture places a high emphasis on a man’s ability to provide for a family and offer stability. Consequently, many Thai women are open to dating or marrying older Western men who have reached a point of financial stability or retirement, which makes them highly eligible partners. Furthermore, Thai men are often less willing to date single mothers compared to Western men.”
If my judgement is of the face only, personally I find most of those women not 'beautiful'. Yet probably for some of those men ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’.
Love? I never saw during my long stay a Russia girl, although there a few of them, with a Thai man, for example. The sheer number of such relationships in a city of only 350,000 people says otherwise. It says that there a specific pool of dark-skinned women, probably most of them 'internal migrants' like the single mother I met, who was looking for financial support in exchange for 'a relationship'. In fact, she was one of four I single mothers I met. One of them is Mongolian. Two of the Thai ones could not speak a sentence in English. Young and beautiful Thai girls speak English and hook with Westerners and Arab Gulf men with fat bank accounts.
I always go back to what the old Thai lady from the north I met in my first week told me: “A foreign man is an ATM for those Thai women.” One cannot fail to notice the norm: the man pays or gives the woman the cash to pay. Sometimes the man, the woman's family or some of its members can been at the same table. Indeed it becomes a social support. Some men build a new family and life here. The age difference is sometimes stark: the man is 40/45 years older than the woman/a very young girl. Aged ones need help. You would a see the Thai women helping the man in his ins and outs.
A woman who is looking for a 'Western' man (colour is irrelevant) would look at the man and smile. A straightforward woman in her late thirties told me: “I am looking for a foreigner to support me and my family.” She wanted 15,000 Baht a month (around 400 €). She has two teenage kids. She comes from a family background in the north that engaged in farming. Now she has an offer to work in construction with on-site accommodation provided.
Once on the songthaews, the collective taxi, an old Iranian men man from Brooklyn, US, who was in Pattaya for 8/9 months, was jubilant in telling an American from man the Bronx that a Thai woman he dated on Cupid was coming to join him the following day.
A French man and an Indian man having a chat on the taxi. They were in Thailand for 6 days yet they both quickly agreed that they were there for the weather, the food, and ‘a good woman’ – their words. The Indian guy lives in Saudi Arabia.
An old Greek man living in Pattaya likes Thailand because there is 'a balance'. He started expressing defending his opinion by referring how some Thai people staged a murderous attack on Myanmar refugees/migrants trying to enter the country by sea. When I pointed put that we should talk about contradictions rather balance because the word balance has a positive resonance, he maintained that in his opinion there was balance.
When I mentioned the economic model that drives women to migrate from the north or to resort to prostitution, he wanted to separate culture from the economy, for, in his opinion, the Thai culture is better than the imbalance in Europe. I was not sure, but I think he implied the immigration aspect and the migration policies pursued by the EU.
I once asked an old retired British man visting Pattaya from Chiang Mai where he lives: Do you think most Weterners retiring in Thailand do it because of convenience. He answered in the affirmative. Apart from the affordability and the weather, he finds the health care in the country very good. He did not like Pattaya though.
After 6 weeks I got across the first bookshop. It was on one of the upper floors of Central Pattaya shopping centre. It was empty when I went in. I browsed some shelves and I was still the only person in the shop. It felt weird. Most of the books were in English.
Too many young girls, especially from China, Kora, Japan, spend the day taking selfies. I have never seen such a mania in all of my many travels.
A typical bar is where white men served by Thai women, are drinking beer and on their phones. A month passed without seeing a single white man reading a booking (hard copy or on kindle) although many of those men are long-time residents. After two months I spotted two Thai women at Chao Doi cafƩ in Jomptien reading books.
Couples and families flock to the beach in the afternoon. Yet it is very common to see them on spending most of the time on their phone or taking selfies when their are not eating.
Deep-fried and stir fried dishes are very common if not the most common Thai food. In the market, one can see how the same oil is being used to deep fry fish and meat all evening. A common drink is a 'smoothy' in a plastic cup, two thirds of it filled with ice. It costs 4 €.
Entering the city centre from Jomtien, there is an awful traffic on the long Pattaya Sai 2 Road. Traffic eases afterwards towards Central Marina. The five-star hotels on the road are contrasted to 0 star traffic. It is not an uncommon feature of many city roads in the world: lack of public transport and too many vehicles.
Through main roads such as Sukhumvit Road pass big comfortable buses, but one needs to take a motorbike or taxi from Jomtien to reach the road. If, say, you want to go to Bang Saray local market, there is no direct bus and you need to go to Sukhmvit Rd or book a taxi on grab or bolt.
As of July 2026, a ride on a collective taxi costs 15 B. Rarely would a driver asks for 20, but it is not legal if they do. If your ride is long, it is better to ask the driver whether they are passing by your destination. Songthaews do not have signs on them indicating their final destination, all passengers assume Terminal 21 is the last stop. Sometimes a driver cuts the journey short or takes a different route without prior announcement. It happened to me twice. The drivers blamed me instead when I asked why he were not taking the usual route.
In Pattaya, the city’s ubiquitous modified pickup truck taxis (songthaews) are controlled by organized local driver cooperatives and syndicates. These groups hold strict territorial and pricing monopolies over specific routes and tourist zones.
As of May 2026, the city centre boasts huge malls, but so many holes and posts on the pavements, which make pedestrians pay a special care to where they put their feet. Works to replace some sections of the pavements started in May. In Jomtien too pavements are narrow, horrible and 'dangerous', co-existing with massive condominiums and world class hotels such Marriot and Riviera, equipped with the latest security measure, swimming pools, gyms, and modern apartments. Like in Pattaya city, there is no investment in public transport. Big busses operate but far from the sea front. For such a resort city and a good influx of foreigners, (electric) buses would be a very crucial addition.
Now it is the end of July. Most of the sections of the pavements on Pattaya Soi Song Road, centre, especially before you reach Central Pattaya shopping mall, have been 'replaced', but unfilled holes remained, which has not changed much in terms of the difficulty pedestrians face while walking. I could not understand the logic of those in charge of the infrastructure works or the image a touristic city wants to project.
Once the collective taxi enters the city centre, the stench from the sewage is felt. It is something structural similar to the sewage problem in Cuba, for example. Many historic city centres like Pattaya rely on a single pipe network to carry both sanitary sewage and rainwater storm runoff. During heavy downpours, these systems overflow. Conversely, during droughts or dry spells, there is not enough water to flush the heavy human and commercial waste through, causing it to sit stagnant and rot. The 3-Billion-Baht "Crab-Claw" Pipe and Infrastructure Project began in late 2020. It is an overarching 3 billion baht ($82 US million) underground utility overhauls (which bundle stormwater diversion, massive High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) drainage piping, and underground cabling).
The sewage structural problem affects Bangkok as well, and the scale of the issue is significantly larger and more complex than in Pattaya. Bangkok’s underlying wastewater crisis stems from the exact same fundamental flaw: a massive, aging Combined Sewer System (CSS). Instead of isolating toxic toilet waste, greywater, and stormwater into separate pipelines, the city routes everything through an interconnected "spiderweb" of public street drains. Whenever it rains heavily, these street pipes back up, pushing foul-smelling, blackish water directly onto the roads and into the city’s iconic canals (klongs). That happened in the middle of Jomtien beach road. I was on a taxi and the smell was foul.
There are no many dog owners here. For four months I never saw a single dog waste on a pavement although there are a few stray dogs. That reminds me of the contrast with London, and how owners are indifferent or careless.
In my opinion, central Pattaya is ugly, reflecting a messy urban planning. Entering the city from Jomtien, you are met with incredible sameness (a massage parlour, a restaurant, a hotel, a massage parlour, a restaurant, a hotel, and it goes on and on until Terminal 21 mall.), and an incredible number of signs of all sizes.
Two months in my stay, an electric tuk-tuk, with the same dark blue colour and the same converted isuzu, appeared on the road. It was the time to see one connecting Jomtien to Pattaya city centre. I took it once and it was a great improvement I thought. The driver was excellent and considerate. He drove the collective taxi smoothly despite the terrible bumps we usually feel while riding the old tuk-tuk.
Noise is a problem. Motorbikes of very loud engines are allowed on the road. They might even wake you up at 2 or 3 in the morning.
According to the World Health Organization, Thailand consistently ranks among the countries with the highest rates of road traffic fatalities globally, with motorcycles involved in approximately 70% to 80% of all traffic-related.
A Thai person admitted that because of the heat, many Thai motor-bikers as well as foreigners do not wear a helmet, especially when they drive for a short distance.
Motor-bikers are also licensed like taxis. A woman or a school kid might jump behind the driver to a specific destination. Booking is made through an app.
One day I witnessed an accident. It involved two white men. The one driving the car knocked the other off his motorbike. The latter was not wearing a helmet. He was lucky. They exchanged a few words as of nothing happened and went on their ways and lived happier ever after.
The following day, a car driver tried to go through a gap between a line of cars at the traffic light, but from the opposite direction. The driver knocked a Thai man off his motorbike.
Warning: in 95% of the time the priority is not to pedestrians. Hardly any driver would give you the priority to pass or cross the road before them. On a heavy traffic road such as beach road you need to ‘throw yourself’ on the road so that drivers slow down for you to cross. The very few white and white zebra crossings are not respecyed at all.
On the individual level, it is a very safe city I think. It is the opposite of Chile's Valparaiso. I have been always cautious of dropping something rather than got robbed.
From Pattaya city beach road one can see a huge concentration of boats. In one Saturday evening in Jomtien, I saw the biggest number of people on a beach ever.
As of the state of some Thai women, Soi 6 in the so-called red district would give an idea of both exploitation of women and young girls as commodities to sell commodities and the wasted potentialities of most of them who are there contrary to what their aspirations were/are. (Link to sin city article). The sheer numbers of bars with names reflecting the high sexualisation of women is indicative.
I passed once through the street. Girls were touching me trying to lure me into a bar. One girl even got in direct contact with me body and grabbed my penis. On another occasion, a massage women held me hand while trying to convince me to get in for a massage. She tapped on penis. On the famous beach road were a few women line up every evening looking for customers, I was grabbed by a different women on the opposite of the pavement. She pretended she knew me before. Then in a very straightforward manner said: “You want to fuck me in the a*se?” She repeated that a few times, insisting. “It wouldn't cost you much,” she added.
Central Pattaya Mall consists of 6 floors: downstairs or G floor there is Tops, a big supermarket, some of its sections make you think of London's Harrods. A few prices of products are higher than in London. Most Thai people cannot afford shopping there. A latte at Starbucks costs £3 compared to the £1-1-30 at CafĆ© Amazon. However, there is Food Park with decent affordable dishes. Many locals and foreign residents eat there.
The 5th and 6th floors hosts restaurants with a variety of dishes, Japanese, Korean, Thai…When you want a change, Santa FĆ© is where you can have steak, fish, a mix of both and at The Pizza Company you find pizza, pasta, and a big breakfast of sausages. All floors have 4 stars rest rooms. Like Terminal 21, this shopping centre heaves with people on Saturday. The Royal Garden shopping centre, south of the mall, is 95% empty on Saturday and very few shoppers frequent the centre during the week. It is an example of waste of both resources and human energy and creativity.
The local average salary in Pattaya is estimated closer to 44,000 THB per year. A large segment of Pattaya’s service workforce earns the Chonburi minimum wage of 400 THB per day, which amounts to roughly 10,400 THB monthly. For example, mall retail staff and restaurant helpers typically make between 12,000 and 18,000 THB per month.
It is a very striking contrast when you see it in person. The people serving the food, cleaning the mall, or running the shops are looking at menu prices that represent multiple days of their hard work. Because of this, mall restaurants in Pattaya are heavily dependent on tourists, retirees, and wealthy remote workers to stay in business. When local Thais dine at Central Pattaya or Terminal 21, they rarely sit at the mid-range sit-down restaurants daily. Instead, they eat at the mall food courts (Food Park) where authentic Thai dishes cost 35, 50 70 to 160 THB maximum (£0.90, £1.10, £1.70, £4), or they stick to local street vendors outside the tourist zones. I have seen how Terminal 21 food court heaves with locals and how difficult sometimes to find a seat.
- Spending 300 THB for lunch and 300 THB for dinner equals 600 THB per day (assuming you skip or have a cheap breakfast).
- Monthly Food Total: This totals roughly 18,000 THB per month for eating out twice a day at sit-down restaurants.
If your food budget is 18,000 THB, it means you can have lunch and dinner for 300 each (not luxury ones, no drinks included) in the restaurants on the 5th and 6th floors. You can comfortably sustain this lifestyle on a salary of 35,000 to 45,000 THB per month, depending on your other expenses. You can easily bypass the food parks and sit down at many popular, air-conditioned casual restaurant chains.
In Terminal 21 Food Court I saw not a single sign like ‘pickpockets operate in this areas’ – a more-or-less common sign seen in London cafĆ©s and restaurants. Hundreds of people are present at one time in the Food Court, with some even leave their bags on the tables and go fetch food. Here a coffee costs half or a third of what you find in other places.
Off Pattaya Sai Song Road, opposite the Central Pattaya mall, a short walk around means countless number of bars, massage parlours and hotels. Some bars are half of a football stadium length. One wonders how even in the high season could those bars make enough money.
I have never seen a sex shop in Pattaya, but to my amusement one early evening on the beach road I saw a man with a stand selling sex toys in their boxes.
Four months passed and did not seen a single anti-social behaviour, a violent and abusive language in cafĆ©s and restaurants or on the street. I never saw a fight between two Thai people or an abuse of staff by customers – things I am used to see in London. I wondered how Bangkok looks like. The day after I wrote the above, a white man, a Westerner, standing on the pavement gave a finger to a Thai woman sitting next to me on the collective tax. They did not know each other. The woman was shocked. A week later, a French man told me to shut up in a discussion about nationalism.
Two weeks later, 6/7 Indians jumped on a collective taxi with me. Three or four of them were on the point of lightening up cigarettes. I told them that it was illegal to smoke on public transport. One of them asked me where I was from. Another asked the driver, who waved his said meaning smoking was not allowed. When I got off and told them, joking, “now you can smoke,” one of them said: “shut up.”
An American from Alaska is married to a Thai woman and lives in the city. A Welsh man has been coming to Thailand every month for 33 years. His wife is Welsh. He said it was because of the weather and the people. In another occasion, on a tuk-tuk ride I saw a couple with a kid. The man is white, the woman dark and look like a Thai, the boy looks dark too. They couple spoke very fluent German. It was intriguing for me. I wish I knew how they met. Was the Thai woman born in German (or Austria)?
Besides the many street food vendors, there are a few beach vendors – they are the people of the informal economy trying to scrape up a few Bahts.
Occasionally, you see children selling things. Once two one of them was not more than 7 were selling seaweed.
A young Thai girl talking to British man on the phone:
– Can I come to your 'room'? Room here means condo/ your place.
– Why?
– I like you. ( She meant "I want you.")
The conversation dragged on a bit, but I could understand he was not available or something. Then I could hear him saying:
– Come tomorrow. I will have friends, English football and playing cards.”
All sounded exciting. Sarcasm intended.
The anti-immigrants, anti-Muslims British scream about how some immigrants do not speak English. They should see how many Westerners and Russians in Pattaya do not speak English or Thai although they have been in the country for years.
In a cafĆ© an English guy was questioning human rights and the way Britain applies it. He rhetorically asked a man who had just met: why should an African who committed a rape crime in the UK is sentenced in the UK, but not deported. I intervened and asked him: should we shoot Africans? He replied: “Maybe.” Notice that he did not even think for a second or asked what 'African' meant or who the Africans we were referring to were.
In CafƩ Amazon, The Avenue branch, central Pattaya, three Americans agree on everything. They accuse the 'communists' and 'Marxists' of their role in what is happening in the US. They implicitly include Obama as one of the Marxists and the 'bad things' he did.
In Jomtien one often see white foreigner topless on the street or riding a bike and not wearing a helmet. No respect for the locals' culture. I was glad to see once that one of them was stopped by the transport police. When he was asked about the helmet, he pointed to his hat! Outside the beach/the seaside Thai men do not or rarely go topless. Most women do not swim in a bikini, but in shorts or with their clothes on. I saw men in July swim in Pattaya beach wearing t-shirts
Although there are some Thai women who dress in what one might describe as a ‘vulgar’ way: too much revealing - even more than what you sometimes see in London - as opposed to what most Thai women wear in public, in Thailand, beach culture and local norms lean heavily toward modesty, making traditional swimwear like bikinis less common among Thai women compared to Western tourists. Key Reasons for This Style:
- Modesty and Culture: Thai culture generally values modesty, and showing too much skin in public can feel uncomfortable or inappropriate for many locals.
- Sun Protection: Maintaining a fair complexion is highly valued in Thai beauty standards. Wearing shirts, shorts, or rash guards helps prevent tanning and sunburn. [7, 8]
- Practicality: Many beach activities involve transitions to local restaurants or shops where walking around in a bikini is considered disrespectful. What is Commonly Worn:
- T-shirts and Shorts: Casual, everyday clothes are frequently worn directly into the water.
- Rash Guards and Swim Shorts: Long-sleeve swim shirts and board shorts are very popular for both sun protection and modesty.
- One-Piece Swimsuits: When standard swimwear is chosen, full-coverage one-piece suits or swim dresses are preferred over bikinis.
This practice is universal in Thailand, but it becomes significantly more strictly enforced in non-touristy provinces or local community hubs, where swimming fully clothed is the absolute norm. And the aversion to tanning remains a massive driver. High-end resorts attract wealthier locals who are highly motivated to avoid sun exposure to maintain a fair complexion.
Avoid swimming in Pattaya beach where the sea is packed with boats. Go to south Jomtien or to the north of Pattaya.
That is food for thought for those Westerners who think that when a Muslim woman swims in a 'burkini' is something unique and must not be allowed in Europe, while men are allowed to walk topless and women in bikinis when they are in other countries..
I accepted a 79 years old English man share a table with in a cafƩ. He is a pensioner, a former police officer, and has lived in Thailand with his wife since 2011. No more than than two minutes in our conversation and he started ranting about the Muslims, the left and Starmer. I contradicted him in every sentence then I abruptly ended the conversation with him.
Who owns 7/11? It is part the Charoen Pokphand Group Company, Ltd. Charoen Phokkhaphan; also commonly known as CP) is a Thai conglomerate based in Bangkok. It is Thailand's largest private company and the largest privately held Royal Warrant holder of the Thai Royal Family. The company describes itself as having eight business lines[3] covering 14 business groups. As of 2025, the group has investments in 21 countries. (Wikipedia)
Central Pattaya (formerly known as CentralFestival Pattaya Beach) is owned by Central Pattana, the commercial real estate and development arm of Central Group. Central Group is a massive Thai multinational conglomerate owned and controlled by the billionaire Chirathivat family. As of 2026 Central Pattaya is the largest beachfront shopping center in all of Southeast Asia. The Chirathivat family is a prominent Thai-Chinese billionaire clan who own and operate the Central Group, Thailand's largest retail and property conglomerate. With an estimated net worth of roughly \(\$8.6\) billion, they rank among the top richest families in Thailand.
The group owns large-scale commercial operations, shopping malls, and hotel chains in Pattaya are dominated by massive Thai family conglomerates. Tops is one of stores it owns.
CP Group: Owned by the Chearavanont family, they own the vast majority of retail convenience stores and wholesale hubs in the city (such as 7-Eleven and CP Axtra).
In Jomtien Bangkok-Based Developers & Conglomerates: Major real estate and hospitality projects (e.g., luxury condominiums and beachfront resorts) are driven by large Thai corporate groups. The Expat & Foreign Community: Expats from the UK, Western Europe, Russia, and Australia hold significant stakes in Jomtien’s service-oriented industry (e.g., pubs, bars, restaurants, and real estate agencies). These are almost always operated as joint ventures via registered Thai limited companies to satisfy the legal requirements.
One characteristics of cultural domination means that the same English song you hear in London Costa coffee shop, you also hear repeated again and again in a Santiago or a Bangkok coffee shop.
The use of plastic is huge here. Someone pays for a small bottle of water and a small bottle of coke. The seller gives them each bottle in a separate plastic bag! Each smoothie you buy comes in a plastic plastic container and a plastic bag.
Here is not like what I saw Chile where the cities on Saturday and Sunday are almost empty. In Pattaya's city centre one feels a little difference between weekdays and the week-end although the latter is slightly busier. In the long low season most resorts are running with very low occupation. Message parlours and restaurants not in the shopping centres are desperate for customers.
Wifi in the resorts and in places where they allow you to use it is generally good here. An Australian told me that it was better than in Australia.
I posted this on google AI: Apart from the beach, I find Pattaya, Thailand boring because of its sameness, too much of business, bad infrastructure, a few women are highly commodified…
Here is the response:
“It sounds like you have hit the wall with the standard tourist track there, and honestly, your critiques are spot on. If you stay on the main strips like Beach Road or Walking Street, Pattaya can quickly feel like a chaotic, over-commercialized grid where everything is transactional, the traffic is a mess, and the nightlife culture is incredibly in-your-face.
If you are stuck there for a bit or just looking for a completely different side of the region that doesn't rely on the beach or the mainstream nightlife, you have to escape the central city bubble.
July marks the heart of Thailand’s traditional low (rainy) season. According to data from the Chon Buri Tourism Federation, Pattaya is currently experiencing a much harsher seasonal contraction than usual. Tourist arrivals have dropped by 20% to 30%, leaving the vast majority of local hotels operating well below their 40% to 50% financial break-even threshold. A few trendy, perfectly located buildings (like The Base or The Riviera complexes) might reach 95% occupancy in the high season, while a building just two blocks away sits half-empty.
At any given time during the best months of the year, the peak season, tens of thousands of rooms and rental units still sit entirely empty. Many of the massive condo complexes being built are not funded by banks, but by international buyers purchasing units "off-plan" (before they are built). Developers only need to sell a certain percentage of units—often to overseas investors from Russia, China, and Europe—to turn a profit and finish construction. Whether a tourist ever rents the unit afterward is the buyer’s problem, not the developer’s.
While tourists disappear, Pattaya’s massive permanent expat population stays. Condo owners and boutique guest houses compensate by shifting from high-margin daily rentals to stable long-term leases (6 to 12 months). They slash monthly rates by 10% to 30% just to secure a guaranteed baseline income that covers their monthly maintenance fees, taxes, and mortgages until the high season returns.
July and August are peak travel months for visitors from India and Arab nations, who often prefer the cooler, rainy "Green Season" over the scorching heat of their home countries.
Other measures: Floor Closures: Hotels completely shut down entire blocks or floors of rooms. This allows them to turn off centralised air conditioning and save thousands of dollars on utility bills.
Staff Rotations: Many local workers are hired on seasonal contracts. During the low season, staff are often asked to take mandatory unpaid leave, clear accrued vacation time, or drop to part-time hours.
Pattaya is no longer being developed just as a beach town; it is the urban hub of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor. Developers are betting on long-term infrastructure projects, including the high-speed rail linking Bangkok's airports to Pattaya and the expansion of the nearby U-Tapao Airport. They are building the accommodations now to match the industrial and corporate growth expected over the next decade.
The Architectural & Spiritual Escape
If you want to see incredible craftsmanship without the commercial grime, head to the Sanctuary of Truth (Prasat Sut Ja-Tum) in Naklua. It is a massive, jaw-dropping pavilion constructed entirely out of hand-carved wood, built to honor traditional Buddhist and Hindu philosophies. There isn't a single metal nail holding it together. It feels completely detached from the rest of the city's chaotic energy.
Entrance only costs 500 Baht for an adult. Use grab from Terminal 21. It costs half or less of what a tuk-tuk or a motorbike driver would ask you.
Inside I witnessed how goats made to beat each other over a carrot. Visitors are offered to buy carrots to feed the goats and horses. It wasn't a nice thing to see.
A Glimpse of "Real" Thai Local Life
To escape the corporate tourist traps, head north to Naklua Old Market. Early in the morning or late in the evening, this area feels like a traditional Thai fishing village rather than a resort city. You can wander the old wooden shop-houses, see local fishermen bringing in the daily catch, and eat authentic street food at a fraction of central Pattaya's prices, completely free of the aggressive sales pitches.
Active & Green Retreats
If you want to completely swap concrete and business for nature, take a taxi or rented scooter slightly inland:
- Wat Yansangwararam Complex: Located about 20 kilometers south of the city, this is a massive, peaceful temple complex under royal patronage. The grounds feature stunning Swiss-Thai architecture, quiet lakes, and Chinese shrines.
- Khao Chi Chan (Buddha Mountain): Right near Wat Yan, this is a sheer limestone cliff featuring a massive, 130-meter-high Buddha outlined in gold leaf. The surrounding park is quiet, green, and highly respected by locals.
An Easy Escape Hatch: If you have a free day, take the 45-minute public ferry from Bali Hai Pier over to Koh Larn (Coral Island). While the main beaches get busy with day-trippers, renting a scooter and driving to the quieter viewpoints or secluded coves feels worlds away from the urban gridlock of the mainland.
Happened when I was there
Police in Pattaya are investigating a bizarre incident early Tuesday morning. A 50-year-old Irishman is believed to have set fire to his apartment in a low-market development in central Pattaya. Earlier, according to his 26-year-old Thai wife, he began acting erratically. He claimed an invisible entity was threatening him and was seen talking into a mirror. When emergency responders arrived, they found him still speaking to himself near the balcony of the fourth-floor unit.
A 34-year-old American woman took her own life on Saturday afternoon in the upmarket Ekkamai area of Bangkok after throwing herself from the 11th floor of a condominium. She crashed onto a 9th-floor balcony and, despite efforts by rescuers to revive her, died at the scene. Police found her boyfriend in an uncontrollably distressed state. The woman had locked him out while causing a disturbance in her room before jumping. Before her death, she scrawled a note about taking medication and ‘freaking’ out.
A Canadian man wanted in an international drug trafficking case was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport after hiding in Pattaya, authorities said. The arrest took place on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
Australian man Simon Carman has been charged with murder after the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was found in a suitcase in Pattaya, Thailand.
Police arrested a British man on Wednesday, a day after he allegedly threw acid at a guesthouse manager in Pattaya while searching for his Thai girlfriend, leaving the woman with severe injuries.
The suspect, identified as Richard Langford, 40, was detained near Soi Buakhao after local residents reported seeing him arguing with a Thai woman. The victim, a 43-year-old guesthouse manager, remains hospitalised with serious burns to her face and body....
A 21-year-old British woman has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her boyfriend, the operator of a cannabis farm in Chon Buri, after a fatal stabbing at a luxury rental home in Pattaya.
Fortunately, I left Pattaya before the nearly 5,000 crew members of Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier descended on ('invaded') the city. It would have made me very sick. US sailors arrive in Thailand's Pattaya after record 250 days at sea
Taking the shuttle from Suvarnabhumi airport to Don Mueang airport would give you the opportunity to see the massive city scapes of Bangkok with new modern buildings on both sides of the motorway.
Bangkok
On the 4th floor of Don Mueang, look for the street food market. A big place where you find very affordable dishes. It is a rarity to find in an airport. I had the best egg noodle with BBO pork and shrimp wonton in three months. Look for Imm restaurant. It cost only 175 B.
In Phuket
Does not accepting refugees contradict buddhist teaching?
Generally, refusing to accept refugees contradicts the core Buddhist principles of compassion (karuna) and loving-kindness (metta). Because Buddhism emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings and the relief of suffering (dukkha), actively turning away those fleeing persecution directly opposes the foundational teachings of generosity and non-harming. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Core Teachings
- Compassion and Metta: The Buddha taught that all beings wish to be happy and free from suffering. Relieving the intense suffering of refugees is seen as a direct and essential practice of compassion. [1, 2]
- Interdependence: The realization that all beings are interconnected means that a society's safety and well-being are tied to the well-being of the vulnerable.
- Generosity (Dana): Giving aid, shelter, and safety is considered one of the most fundamental meritorious acts a layperson can perform. [6]
"Taking Refuge"
A central practice in Buddhism is "taking refuge" in the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community). Because Buddhists literally and metaphorically "take refuge" to escape the suffering of cyclic existence, many modern Buddhist scholars emphasize that Buddhists have a profound spiritual duty to offer a literal refuge to those who are displaced and suffering in the world. [1, 2, 7, 8, 9]
While individual Buddhists or predominantly Buddhist nations may face complex geopolitical or economic considerations, the fundamental ethical teachings of Buddhism strongly advocate for offering protection and aid to those in need. Organizations like Buddhist Global Relief actively embody these principles by providing aid and advocacy for displaced populations globally. [2, 10]
[1] https://www.buddhistdoor.net
[4] https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com
[5] https://voices-compassion.arihantainstitute.org
[6] https://www.kriteekanko.com
[10] https://brill.com
So how does the Thai government, for instance, square repelling refugees with Budhist principles?
The Thai government balances its restrictive refugee policies with its identity as a deeply Buddhist nation by separating state survival from religious duty. In Thai political thought, the state’s primary moral duty is to protect the nation, the monarchy, and Thai citizens first. [1, 2]
The rationale used by the state and the public to navigate this tension relies on several specific frameworks:
1. The Separation of State Security and Personal Karma
In Thai Theravada Buddhism, actions are heavily viewed through the lens of individual karma. [3]
- Providing food, medical aid, or donating to temporary camps along the border is seen as a way for citizens to make religious merit (tham boon). [4]
- However, state governance is viewed through a lens of realpolitik and national security. [1, 5]
- Government officials do not view protecting the border or repelling undocumented arrivals as a violation of Buddhist non-harming; instead, they see it as the unfortunate but necessary duty of maintaining domestic social order and national stability. [1]
2. Pragmatic Compassion ("Middle Way" Humanitarianism)
Thailand rarely grants full legal asylum status, opting instead to categorize refugees as "temporary displaced persons" or illegal immigrants. They justify this politically by providing limited, managed assistance rather than open-ended integration: [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
- Thailand has hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos in closed border camps for decades.
- The state argues it is practicing Buddhist compassion by offering temporary sanctuary, food, and safety from immediate violence.
- However, to protect local resources and avoid domestic strain, they maintain that indefinite integration or full legal rights would violate the "Middle Way" by causing harm to Thai citizens. [4, 6, 11, 12, 13]
3. Protection of the Sangha and Social Cohesion
Thai national identity is anchored in a triad: Nation, Religion (Buddhism), and King. [14, 15]
- Mass influxes of refugees—particularly non-Buddhist groups like the Muslim Rohingya or political dissidents from neighboring regimes—are sometimes framed by nationalist factions as potential threats to the cultural and religious fabric of the country. [16, 17, 18]
- Preserving the stability of the Thai Buddhist Sangha (the monastic community) and avoiding domestic religious conflict is prioritized by the state as a higher moral good. [16, 19]
4. Shifting to Economic Integration
In recent years, the government has increasingly reframed its refugee management through a lens of mutual benefit rather than strict repulsion. For example, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) highlighted resolutions allowing long-staying refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border to legally work. This shifts the narrative from refugees being a drain on society to acting as a vital workforce that aids the community, aligning policy with the Buddhist value of harmonious coexistence.[6, 20]
If you'd like to explore this further, let me know if you want to look into how Thai Buddhist monks view this policy, or examine the specific situation of Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia.
[2] https://www.dailymotion.com
[3] https://www.baptistpress.com
[5] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com
[7] https://www.fortifyrights.org
[10] https://borgenproject.org
[14] https://books.openedition.org
[15] https://riskandthreatperception.com
[16] https://www.files.ethz.ch
[18] https://www.lowyinstitute.org
"They see it as the unfortunate but necessary duty of maintaining domestic social order and national stability.” It doesn’t look different room the EU or the US argument.
You are exactly right—the core argument of balancing national stability against humanitarian duty is identical to the ones used in the US and the EU. The fundamental tension between state security and human rights is universal, but what makes the Thai context unique is how national security arguments are explicitly mapped onto Buddhist ethics. [1]
While Western nations debate refugee policies using secular frameworks like international law, economic strain, and constitutional duties, Thailand frames these exact same pressures through a distinct cultural lens:
1. The Justification of State Duty (The Chakkavatti Ideal)
In the West, leaders justify borders through civil law and national sovereignty. In Thailand, state authority is historically rooted in the concept of the Dhammaraja (a righteous king or ruler).
- According to the Chakkavatti-Sihanada Sutta (a Buddhist text on governance), a ruler’s first moral duty is to provide ward and protection to their own people, prevent poverty, and maintain social order.
- Thai authorities use this traditional framework to argue that a ruler who fails to protect domestic stability is actually failing their primary Buddhist duty. Therefore, prioritizing Thai citizens over foreign refugees is framed not as a lack of compassion, but as the fulfillment of a specific governance karma.
2. Private vs. Public Morality
Western political philosophy (like Machiavelli or Weber) explicitly separates personal morality from statecraft ("the ethics of responsibility"). Buddhism arrives at a similar separation through the concepts of worldly vs. spiritual realms:
- The Spiritual Realm (Lokuttara): Absolute compassion, selflessness, and no borders. This is the domain of monks and personal spiritual practice.
- The Worldly Realm (Lokiye): The messy reality of politics, economics, and survival.
- Thai policymakers operate under the assumption that a state cannot be run purely on absolute spiritual ideals. If a state acted with absolute, borderless compassion, it would collapse under economic and social pressure, which would ultimately destroy the very society that protects the Buddhist religion.
3. "Karmic Destiny" and Passivity
In Western political discourse, the plight of refugees is often framed around human rights violations, Western foreign policy accountability, or global systemic failures. In Thai society, a deep-seated cultural undercurrent of Karma (Kamma)changes how the public views suffering: [2, 3, 4]
- There can be a passive societal view that a refugee’s displacement is the result of their own past karma, and Thailand's safety is the result of collective Thai karma.
- While this doesn't mean Thais believe refugees deserve to suffer, it can dilute the sense of urgent state responsibility. It allows the government to offer basic, temporary charity (making merit) without feeling a moral obligation to fix the structural or legal issues by granting permanent asylum. [5]
Ultimately, whether a government is invoking Western notions of "sovereignty and the social contract" or Eastern notions of "ruler's duty and societal karma," the political output is identical: national self-preservation overrides universal humanitarian ideals.
If you'd like, we can explore how prominent Thai Buddhist activists (like Sulak Sivaraksa) challenge the government's stance, or look into how the US and EU use international law to bypass their own refugee obligations.[6]
[1] https://rileybrooke.medium.com
[3] https://flex.flinders.edu.au
Like any other recent nation state: ‘tribal’ belonging overrides the universal definition of a human being.
You have hit on the exact philosophical and political reality at the heart of this issue. At the end of the day, the modern nation-state—whether it frames its identity through Western liberal democracy, Thai Theravada Buddhism, or any other cultural narrative—is inherently built on an insider-versus-outsider blueprint. [1]
When a crisis occurs, the "tribal" boundary of citizenship almost always overrides the universal category of the "human being."
The Illusion of Universalism
Both Western political philosophy and major world religions claim to hold universal values, but both encounter the same structural failure when confronted with borders:
- The Enlightenment Dilemma: Western democracies champion "universal human rights." Yet, as the philosopher Hannah Arendt famously pointed out after WWII, these rights are virtually impossible to enforce unless you are a citizen of a specific state. Once a person loses their citizenship and becomes a refugee, they lose the "right to have rights." [2, 3, 4, 5]
- The Religious Dilemma: Buddhism champions universal compassion for all sentient beings. Yet, when institutionalized as a state religion, it becomes tethered to national identity. The universal teaching of Metta (loving-kindness) gets shrunk to fit national borders, prioritizing the "Thai Buddhist tribe" over the global human community.
How Nations Re-brand the "Tribe"
Because openly admitting "we only care about our tribe" sounds morally bankrupt on the global stage, nation-states use different vocabularies to justify the exact same tribal behavior:
Region [6] | The Secular/Political Narrative | The Underlying "Tribal" Reality |
United States | "Protecting the rule of law, national sovereignty, and legal processes." | Prioritizing domestic voters and maintaining a specific cultural/economic status quo. |
European Union | "Preserving European values, managing border capacity, and security." | Protecting the welfare state and reacting to nationalist political pressures. |
Thailand | "Fulfilling the ruler's duty to maintain social order and domestic karma." | Preserving the specific triad of Nation, Religion, and King against outside influence. |
The Nation-State is Incompatible with Absolute Universals
The fundamental friction exists because universal compassion requires boundless inclusivity, while a nation-state requires strict exclusivity. A state cannot exist without a border, and a border cannot exist without declaring that the people on the outside have fewer claims to your resources than the people on the inside.
Whether a government rationalizes its borders using the US Constitution, EU treaties, or Buddhist texts on righteous governance, the function is identical: it acts as a mechanism to protect the tribe first, leaving universal human solidarity as a secondary, luxury ideal. [7]
[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[4] https://www.zfl-berlin.org
In 2002, one of the darkest chapters in modern American history didn't unfold in a war zone. It happened quietly, in northern Thailand.
Just outside the city of Udon Thani, inside what used to be a radio relay station for Voice of America, the CIA opened its very first secret prison. They called it Detention Site Green.
Most people in Thailand had no idea it existed. Years later, the Thai prime minister said his own government was never even told where it was.
Behind those walls, a man named Abu Zubaydah suspected of ties to al-Qaeda was waterboarded 83 times. He was slammed against walls, deprived of sleep, and locked for more than 200 hours in a box the size of a coffin.
According to the US Senate's own investigation, this was the place where the CIA's entire "enhanced interrogation" program was invented. The blueprint that would later spread to secret sites in Poland, Romania and beyond was written here, on Thai soil.
Even some of the CIA officers present were reportedly reduced to tears by what they were ordered to do.
The site was shut down after just a few months, at the end of 2002. The prisoners were moved elsewhere. The building went quiet again.
For years, almost no one knew this story. Today it stands as a reminder that history's heaviest moments often happen in the most ordinary-looking places
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