In fact, Thailand doesn't have a culture of infidelity as claimed by many commentators; it has a culture of men and their mistresses. No wonder Gen Prayut scolded journalists for misunderstanding his intent: with a word like "gik", how could he be talking about regulating infidelity -- male infidelity -- without it being a joke? The Sakdina system was an explicit recognition of the power relationships, socioeconomic forces and gender biases that lay the foundations for Thai male sexual privilege. A Mahidol University poll on infidelity revealed that 42% of men admit to having mistresses. A university student doing sex work to pay for her expenses told an interviewer that "my life doesn't give me choices".

Source: Bangkok Post September 24, 2017 00:00 UTC