July 27, 2014
The World Race provides a brief explanation of what racers can expect in Thailand. “The kingdom of Thailand, known as Siam until 1939, is the only country in the region not colonized by Europe. Their 2000 census showed that 94.6% of the population is Buddhist, 4.6% are Muslim, and 0.7% are Christian. Approximately 600,000 people live with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. With nearly two million people estimated to be forced into prostitution, it has become one of the most popular places for sex tourism.”
I got this information from Welcome to Thailand by Jo Wynaden, Countries of the World: Thailand by Ronald Cherry, christianaid.org, unicef.org, and humantraffiking.org.
-Nearly 1 million children have no birth registration documents, which means they cannot declare citizenship and receive basic rights.
– “Thailand is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. It is a destination-side hub of exploitation in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, for both sex and labor exploitation. Migrants, ethnic minorities, and stateless people in Thailand are at a greater risk of being trafficked than Thai nationals, and experience withholding of travel documents, migrant registration cards, and work permits by employers. Traffickers often collaborate with employers and, at times, with law enforcement officials, and have been found to hold Thai and foreign passports. Many Thais are lured by labor recruiting agencies and are forced into involuntary servitude or sexual exploitation because of the high debt owed to the agencies. The majority of Thai trafficking victims are trafficked to the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, and China for both sexual and labor exploitation. Thai victims have also been repatriated from Russia, South Africa, Yemen, Vietnam, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Thai nationals are also known to be trafficked to Australia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Timor-Leste.” (humantraffiking.org) 
– More than half a million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand, and rates are rising among young people. Young people are becoming sexually active at an earlier age and many are not using protection. Significant numbers of young people also belong to especially high-risk groups, including injecting drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men.” (unicef.org)
-Since 1975, when many neighboring countries became communist, more than one million refugees have fled to Thailand. While most refugees have been resettled, a large number remains in refugee camps near the border. The conditions in refugee camps are difficult. Refugees are not free to go wherever they please but are restricted to a fenced compound. Conditions are often crowded, and there are no jobs for people.
-During World War II thousands of Allied prisoners died under their Japanese captors while building a bridge from Thailand to Burma over the Khwae Noi River (River Kwai). There is still a lot of hostility, resentment, and unforgiveness caused by this history. This event has been depicted in many books and novels.
-Buddhism is completely ingrained in the Thai culture. Monks bless wedding ceremonies, and funerals are held at temples. Temples are also home to the many Thai men who become Buddhist monks for a short while. On Buddhist holidays, families gather to decorate the neighboring temple. It would be incredibly hard to believe in Christianity there, because they would have to remove themselves from many things in society, things that show respect and honor to Thai people.
-Pollution is a big problem, especially in Bangkok. All the vehicles in the streets of Bankok contribute to air pollution to such an extreme that police officers often wears gas masks. Many rivers are polluted by industrial waste from factories and household sewage that drain directly into the water.
-“Deforestation has hurt the environment in many ways. The habitat of many wildlife species has been destroyed, and some animals face extinction as a result. Erosion and flooding occur downstream from areas stripped of forests. In 1988, a landslide, believed to be the result of intensive logging, killed 300 people in a village in southern Thailand. Since then, there has been a total logging ban in Thailand, although illegal logging still occurs.” (Ronald Cherry)
-Thailand is the tip of the “Golden Triangle”, which is notorious for the production and trafficking of opium and heroin, two illegal and very addictive narcotics.
-Some plant and animal species have completely disappeared, mainly because of overhaunting. For example, the Javan rhinoceros was hunted for its horn and is now extinct. Other species, such as the elephant, the tiger, and the dugong, are also in danger of becoming extinct.
Please pray against trafficking and for the rescue of those in the trade! Please pray against drug trafficking, deforestation, and for injuries and death caused by mudslides. Please pray that Thailand finds their true God and will have the courage to live their faith in their communities.
Tori
