Thais push safe sex with "Miss Condom" pageant

[DuctapeFatwa]

A bevy of Thai bar girls, health officials and a transvestite blew up condoms and paraded for a different kind of honour -- the title of "Miss Condom Asia-Pacific". Featuring 20 contestants from four different nations, the contest aims to promote safe sex in Thailand -- a country on the frontline in the war against HIV/AIDS in Asia.

But instead of twirling batons or warbling show tunes, "Miss Condom" competitors wowed the judges with their condom-blowing prowess and knowledge about the virus, which has infected over seven million people across the region.

"They can understand (condoms). They play with them and there's no value judgment," said Senator Mechai Viravaidya, known as "Mr Condom" for his work in promoting AIDS awareness in Thailand.

"It's education plus entertainment," said Mechai, adding that the 20-year-old contest still helps to remove the stigma of condom use in a nation still ruled by conservative social mores.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK293843.htm

[Pale_Rider]

1. A great place to eat in Bangkok is ...

... Cabbages and Condoms on Sukhumvit Soi 12. Instead of breath mints when you leave the restraurant, they offer condoms (Asian and farang sizes). Run by the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) which helps rural Thai folks to become self-sufficient through folk-art and a bit of planned parent-hood.

Official website ...
http://www.cabbagesandcondoms.co.th/hukwang/

PDA's website ...
http://www.pda.or.th/index.html

[Imajika]

3. Great place white_rider

I live part of each year on Suk Soi 24, but get down to the farang jungle of lower Sukhumvit fairly often.

Cabbages and Condoms is an excellent restaurant.

Ever stopped by Cheap Charlies Bar on Soi 11? Rather interesting place frequented by quite a few off the wall expats.

http://www.geocities.com/cheapcharliesbar/

Imajika

[Pale_Rider]

7. Ah Cheap Charlie!

Great place ... though sometimes there can be alot of car traffic that requires moving your butt out of the way or risk getting hit. Wonder if their bat is still in a cage? 50 bhat Klosters.

The Moghul Room restraurant nearby is my favorite Indian place (though haven't tried the brain curry).

[ReadTomPaine]

2. Thailand is amazingly good with contraceptive promotion.

Really a model for the rest of the Asian Pacific region. We could pick up a few pointers ourselves from them.

[Imajika]

4. Afraid the current nationalistic government...

...is slowly reversing this.

The TRT and PM Thaksin are determined to clean up Thailand's image and attract more family tourists. Sort of along the line of what Las Vegas tried (and ultimately failed) to do.

While trying to end the excessive drug and rampant sex trade in Thailand is an excellent idea, the Thai's always seem to go about these things in an ass backwards kind of way. They are really more concerned about image and "face" than they are about the real underlying problems.

So what they are doing is attempting to shut down anything visible about prostitution and drug addiction. The key here is visible, since it is really mostly about image rather than solving real problems. Condom promotions and festivals are a good way to increase awareness and cut down on HIV and STD's, the problem is the current Thai government would rather shut down everything and anything that might spotlight sex and prostitution in Thailand. Ofcourse they won't actually do anything about the underlying issues so the problems continue unabated, but they will feel happier if the rest of the world doesn't know so much about it.

Must also add that graft and corruption associated with the nightlife and prostitution industry is so powerful that it becomes virtually impossible to curtail or regulate it in any meaningful way. Considering many Thai cops in nightlife districts nearly double or triple their incredible small regular incomes through out and out bribery and the collection of tea money, you can understand why just brushing the whole problem under the table is an easier thing to accomplish.

Imajika

[ReadTomPaine]

5. Thank you for this info - it seems progessives are fighting everywhere.

[smallprint]

6. The Vatican could learn something from this

Just yesterday they were claiming that condoms don't prevent AIDS.

:shrug: