Discourse on Prostitutes in Thai Society during Pre-development Period (B.E. 2451-2457)

Abstract

The aim of this article was to analyze a discourse on Prostitutes policy in Thai society during pre-development period, particularly the era of King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) to explain economic, social and cultural contexts in this period; how these contexts had a significant influence to the discourse on Prostitutes policy; what counter-discourses arising from discourse on Prostitutes policy were; In pre-development period, the discourse on Prostitutes policy was significantly formed through economic context. The government king played a dominant role for defining Prostitutes under the concepts and thoughts specifically aiming at improving national economic development. In this period, roads were important basic factors for economic development. Most of revenues for road construction relied on tax collected from Prostitutes business; the tax was called road maintenance tax. The government gained a huge income from this business through policy mechanism which was tax collection system. The fact that the business created a huge income for the government, it caused conflicts between interstate economic and political power (the King) and the elites (Tax collectors). Consequently, the counter-discourse was arisen by a group of elites in various forms. As a result, the government implemented a counter-measure by annulling Prostitutes business tax collection system, enabling the government to absolutely recentralize and reserve its power related to Prostitutes policy in Thai society throughout pre-development period.