This story was published by the curtsey of NNT and we think it is great that a Thai news agency highlight these issues. There are very strong forces in Thailand working against any kind of sex education or condom use in Thailand. In the same time we all know the rampant growing sex industry and the spreading of HIV and other sexual disease. The other issues is off course abortion and that was highlighted in the blog here.
A piece of gossip news has recently spread that a parent of a famous 15-year-old actor encouraged her handsome son to carry condoms for use in case of emergency. This news sparked a criticism in the Thai society on whether the mother is doing the right thing or not. Some support the mother while others are against her idea.
Rattana Bundit University President Assoc Prof Sunee Sinthudecha deemed it inappropriate that the mother teaches her 15-year-old son that way. She elaborated that carrying condoms refers to a thirst for sex. She suggested that the mother should teach her son to take care of himself, learn how to love and know what is appropriate instead although condoms are for prevention.
Assoc Prof Sunee, also known as ‘Achan Mae’, literally meaning mother teacher, stressed that she does not want to offend people who carry condoms but she explained that it is absurd to teach teenagers to carry condoms 24 hours a day while the things that people should carry all the time, in her opinion, were money and identity cards. She said she made such comments because she wanted to remind the society and the way people now think of. She uttered that the Thai society now does not even touch on the cultivation of Thai culture at all. She believed that everything has its own limit while the world is getting smaller because of the information technology.
She elaborated that the word human in Thai language ‘Manut’ is derived from Pali word ‘Manusaya’, a combination of ‘Mana’ which means heart and ‘Usaya’ which means ‘Noble’, and when the two words are combined together ‘Manusaya’ hence means ‘human beings’ or ‘those with noble heart’. She said humans are noble beings compared to other animals, and should, therefore, behave appropriately. She concluded her opinion towards this controversy that sex should come after marriage only.
A mother of a famous 15-year-old star recently was reported to suggest her actor son to always carry condoms in case of emergency. In the previous part of this special report, a notable woman academic criticised the idea strongly. On the other hand, this second part will present another opinion supporting the actor’s mother.
Asked if teenagers should carry condoms, Mr Mechai Viravaidya, a famous activist encouraging people to carry and use condoms, asked the public which option will be safer: having sex with or without using condoms. He said failure to carry and use condoms might lead to infections of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
Mr Mechai, also founder and chairperson of a foundation in his own name, shot another rhetorical question if teenagers will be more interested to have sexual intercourses when they carry condoms. He explained that teenagers are in the age of discovery as they want to try new things but he uttered that it does not mean that they will have immediate sexual urges when they walk pass convenience stores where condoms are sold.
The condom campaigner expressed his opinion that the importance of this issue is not with the mother of the young idol suggesting her son to carry condoms. He pointed out that he is a human being and all human beings are created to have sexual interest by nature; therefore, he said a more crucial point of discussion here should be how to have sex safely.
As for the mother of the young actor, Mr Mechai said he wants to compliment her to be such a smart mother and she should be nominated the best modern mother on the National Mother’s Day. He explained that teenagers in average have their first sexual experience when they are about 15-16 years old; thereby, parents should teach their children well.
Following this news, the Ministries of Public Health and Education as well as related sectors should use this little phenomenon as their opportunity to call for social recognition on the use of condom at early age. Cultural values should be adapted to the modern world, and the related ministries should join hands in making sure that sex is no longer a taboo but is taught in classrooms properly.
