'
The story of a stolen childhood' is told in a new book entitled 'Bangkok Boy' which looks at the darker side of life in Thailand.
Written by Chai Pinit, Bangkok Boy tells story of a dark and sinister life fuelled by greed. Chai's life was normal, that is until he was molested by a teacher. This was the start of a downward spiral for the young Thai man who unable to confide in anyone or seek counselling for the abuse Chai suffered he started drinking in his teenage years. He became an alcoholic and this forced him into selling his body in the red light districts of Bangkok and Pattaya. It is the tale of a boy who grew up into a dysfunctional man.
But now, after years of emotional torment and despair, the author feels it is time to tell his heart-breaking story. The result is Bangkok Boy which is a devastating account of a childhood stolen by sexual abuse and the consequences which follow.
And yet on a more positive note this is also a story of hope and triumph in the face of adversity.
Revealing the less glamorous side of life in Thailand, Bangkok Boy is a gripping read. Unusually Chai's childhood was very normal, and it was not misfortune or poverty which drove him to a life of prostitution, but rather a series of bad life choices, and to a extent morbid curiosity and greed.
He comes from a well-off family in the Sisaket province, Chai's father is an ex Muay Thai kickboxer and his mother a spiritual medium. At 15-years-old Chai goes to a male teacher's home where he first begins his descend into a dark world. For the sum of 100 baht he allows himself to be fondled by the teacher. To the teenager and his friends this doesn't seem like a bad deal, but with the benefit of hindsight he realises that he never fully appreciated 'the incalculable cost all this was incurring to our innocence'.
Chai admits: "I was cleverly coerced into giving up my body for the perverse pleasure of others; yet I willingly traded my innocence in return for treats and money - pittances that in my naiveté I considered treasured goods. These experiences then spawned a series of sordid life choices that warped my reality."
From this moment on Chai continues to make a series of bad choices, sometimes he is driven to make them, but other times it is often convenience and laziness which is his motivation.
Having embarked on his unsavoury way of life, Chai quickly becomes regarded as a delinquent in his home town and he is sent to Pattaya, to live with his uncle. He starts out working as a cleaner and a waiter. But he quickly resorts to selling himself to get the money he needs to finance his many vices - cigarettes, alcohol, gambling and other prostitutes. Chai also loves the status of having a large amount of cash and being considerably more well off than his counterparts.
Much of this is driven by the Thai society which places an emphasis on appearance and wealth. Chai feels strong pressure to make his family and village proud of his success - which he feels is measured by his wealth. By whatever means he achieves this wealth is not important. So he is left facing a situation where on one hand he can earn 5,000 baht a month working hard as a supermarket bagger or a waiter, alternatively he can earn the same amount in one night working as a Soi Twilight 'go-go boy'. Keen to shake off the shackles of a poor country boy, Chai's greed forces him to follow the more unsavoury way of life.
Things look up for Chai when he enrolls as a student, however this comes crashing down on him when he gets drunk and breaks a window. He is arrested for attempted robbery and sentenced to 48 days in jail - a world which is painted as extremely brutal and corrupt.
Obviously the life Chai chose to follow impacts on his future. He becomes violent and abusive to his wife, his father is murdered and one of his brothers, both of whom he introduced to the industry, is killed in a road accident.
In Bangkok Boy, Chai fully acknowledges his own culpability, faults and vices, but still manages to find some high notes and reason for optimism.
This is an honest account of life on the dark side. It contains many unsavoury revelations about Chai's life and indeed portrays many of the flaws in human nature. This is a compelling read, which although depressing on the whole, does have just enough sprinklings of light to make it enjoyable.
As Chai adds: "I wish to tell my story. I need to tell my story. I sense that if I don't, I'll fall through the cracks and all memory of me will be lost forever. My story is not an easy one to share," he admits.
"Nor is it a pleasant one to read. I don't ask for pity from those who are privy to the dark secrets that have entrapped me for so long. By immersing myself in the putrid cesspool of my past, I hope to find my way out and gain a semblance of freedom. Perhaps you, my companions, can learn from my mistakes, and then my life will not have been lived in vain."
