Impact of The Border Conflict on Bar Boys

[Gaybutton]

I guess what's puzzling me about this is why a farang who's coming to Thailand for holiday primarily for "boy action" would be that concerned about the Cambodian borders being closed to begin with...

Good point. Even if the Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnamese boys were unable to go to Thailand there still would be no shortage of available willing young gents. I suppose the interest in when Cambodian boys can return to Thailand is either a preference, for whatever reason, for Cambodian boys or merely curiosity. But Cambodian boys who can't go to Thailand is certainly no cause to think that constitutes a "holiday ruiner".

[Jun]

There are several board members who regularly meet Cambodian boys, so it's far more relevant than, for example, some post about a festival that no board member has any intention of going to.

1 Over 80% of the time, I'm meeting Cambodian or Lao boys. I'm happy to continue doing so.
2 Even the Lao boys do some of their visa runs to Cambodia.
3 I also know some Cambodians, so like to take an interest in where they are.
4 If more of the Cambodian working boys are back home, it might be a good year to visit Cambodia. I still need to decide which other country to visit this time.

I'm not sure of the relevance of Myanmar & Vietnam. Take out the boys from Cambodia & Laos & the bars would be nearly empty.
It's hard enough to find a willing Vietnamese lad in Vietnam, never mind Pattaya.
Myanmar is different, with some very good "masseurs" in Yangon, but relatively few make it down to Pattaya.

Now of course the border closure will not ruin my holiday. However, there are issues to keep an eye on.

[Dodger]

......Over 80% of the time, I'm meeting Cambodian or Lao boys. I'm happy to continue doing so.

Well, until the borders reopen it looks like you'll either have to settle for fewer Cambodians for a while or go to Cambodia.

If you have boys you've become close with in Cambodia I know they'd appreciate some financial support right now. Times couldn't be tougher!

[christianpfc]

Small basis for statistics but here my latest numbers (Pattaya last week, Phnom Penh now):
Of 6 Cambodian boys I know, 2 are still in Pattaya and 4 are not. Out of these 4, I know 2 are in Phnom Penh.

[Jun]

Well, until the borders reopen it looks like you'll either have to settle for fewer Cambodians for a while or go to Cambodia.
If you have boys you've become close with in Cambodia I know they'd appreciate some financial support right now. Times couldn't be tougher!

A little slip perhaps, but times could be a lot tougher.

For money boys, the repression of the entire tourism market during 2020 & 2021 is an obvious example.
I'd imagine the boys in Myanmar currently have a far worse time of it than the boys in Cambodia.
Or if the tanks start rolling and it resembles Poland in 1939, that's a lot tougher.
I'd gather it wasn't too pleasant living in Cambodia under Pol Pot either.

This is quite mild compared with what can happen.

As for finding boys, I'll just keep a close eye on it and adjust behaviour as required.
Currently, finding time to entertain all the boys in Pattaya that I do know is likely to be the biggest problem.

And the requests for money seem to come from lads still in Pattaya.

[Gaybutton]

And the requests for money seem to come from lads still in Pattaya.

Do the Cambodian boys you know - the ones who are currently in Cambodia - communicate with you at all? Maybe the reason the money requests aren't coming from them is due to internet access problems, especially if they live in rural areas.

I'm waiting for the money requests to evolve from "I not have money for eat" and "I not have money for room" to "I not have money for airline ticket" . . .

[Dodger]

Currently, finding time to entertain all the boys in Pattaya that I do know is likely to be the biggest problem.

There you go...problem solved.

Finding time to entertain all the boys that you meet on the apps while in Pattaya should make for a great holiday. And to your point, there's no need to be concerned about any of your Cambodian friends because, as you stated, they've probably seen worse times anyway.

[Jun]

Do the Cambodian boys you know - the ones who are currently in Cambodia - communicate with you at all? Maybe the reason the money requests aren't coming from them is due to internet access problems, especially if they live in rural areas.

They have no communication problems at all. Cambodia has quite good internet coverage, although sometimes not particularly quick.
In the UK, we've had limits on the height of mobile phone masts, in order to keep the country looking tidy. Cambodia has no such constraints & this must help the coverage.

I'm waiting for the money requests to evolve from "I not have money for eat" and "I not have money for room" to "I not have money for airline ticket" . . .

As Dodger once said, the reason they quote for needing the money probably has nothing to do with the real purpose for it.
Besides, Cambodian lads like to pretend they're too poor to fly.
The Lao lads I know all admit to flying & often post pictures of it. As I see it, the Cambodian & Lao lads are on the same salary scale.

[SP55]

I can also contribute with some small statistics too.
Of 7 cambodian boys I know that are still "active" and haven't found boyfriends/sponsors, 5 are now in Pattaya and working now. Most of them in Boyztown bars. Only two I know who went home when the conflict started, have not returned here yet.

[Gaybutton]

Of 7 cambodian boys I know that are still "active" and haven't found boyfriends/sponsors, 5 are now in Pattaya and working now.

I am curious to know if any part of Hun Sen's threat against families for Cambodians who did not return to Cambodia were carried out on any of them. I hope not. Of course they may have returned to Cambodia and then returned to Thailand again before the borders were closed or even returned illegally.

If they are in Thailand by entering illegally, they place themselves at risk, but at least Cambodia would not know they are in Thailand.

Let us know what you find out if you ask them.