I’ve been living here a long time and have come to recognise a specific mind-set – the one that goes “. . . it’s disgusting to see all these dirty old men with young Thai women . . .” Sadly, what these dismissive Westerners are unable to grasp is that this is a sought-after way of life for an enormous number of young Thai women. The living conditions of millions of rural Thai farmers and their families are similarly beyond the imaginings of the same mind-set.

“Working with farangs” is a job,and a well-paid one, too. In the early part of this ‘career’ the young woman will play the field and usually not want to be taken out of the bar (or certainly not be looking for a full-time ‘boyfriend’). The ideal is three or four ‘boyfriends’ on the go at once, in a holding pattern, each of them coming to stay in Thailand with the girl for three or four weeks each year. Each of the men (usually) think that the girl has stopped working in the bar and is living off the money they are sending her each month.

As the girls begin to age and they start to notice that they are not drawing the same attention that they did when they were younger, they begin to look for a more-permanent partner. They look for a man to settle with, one who will buy some land and build her/them a house – often in or close to where her family are based.

They value the financial security, yes, but every one will tell you (and mean it) that Thai men treat their women badly, are aggressive, assertive, often violent and always unfaithful. A farang man (generally older) is thoughtful, considerate and gentle, and shows his affection and appreciation for his woman, being a steadfast husband and a good surrogate father for her (often several) children, and they are both pleased for him to add one or two kids of his own to the brood.

There is no system of Social Benefits or State Aid in Thailand, no government handouts, family allowances or pension schemes – another unimaginable aspect for those with a fixed Western mind-set. Every one of the 60-plus million people here is dependent upon either generating a continual income or being taken-care of by a family member who has access to such.

So, in the scheme of things, an older Western man, divorced or separated, with collateral from the sale of his house or business, annuities, insurance, investments or even a pension, can find companionship and affection with a young(er) attractive Thai woman. And she, in return, finds a steadfast partner who can help both her and her extended family. Plus he’ll end up living in a pleasant country where everything is 25% of the cost of living back home.

This is what is at the core of the whole sex-tourism industry: financial stability. And, whatever the surface packaging of this, whatever the tales of violent lady-boys or scheming bar-girls out to cheat the farangs, this is an element that established itself in the 1950s and 60s, after the War(s) had exposed the attractions of Thailand to millions of soldiers who were drafted over here. And, as such, has now become an established fact of life here – one which I can’t imagine is going to fade-out for a very long time indeed.