THONBURI – Briton John Wilson says he’s just like any Thai person: He wakes up at the crack of down, takes the bus three hours to work, slaves away at work for a low wage and simply wants to enjoy his khao mun gai and Leo beer in peace when he comes home.
But now, with rice prices soaring to record levels, his life has become all the more difficult. The food vendors on his soi in Thonburi raised prices of nearly all dishes by five baht, leaving him struggling to survive.
“I think a lot of Thais are confused and think that just because I have white skin I am a rich person,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “I’m not though. Five baht is actually a lot of money to me.”
“Thais think I am rich because I can make 40,000 baht per month,” he added. “But what they don’t realize is that I need to pay for my flights back to London twice a year, so that actually means I make less money than Thai people.”
John is not alone. Cheap farangs all over Bangkok are erupting in anger at the price increases, claiming that food vendors are simply trying to pull a fast one on old whitey.
In Bang Na, an American man reportedly was so livid about paying the extra five baht for khao pad mu that he called the vendor in broken Thai “a thief and a liar” and ensured him that he would never eat there again.
In Ramkamhaeng, a fat British woman was overheard complaining about decreased portion sizes, claiming that she was “absolutely famished” after a recent meal of krapow gai.
And on Khao San Road, a group of Australian backpackers beat a pad thai vendor nearly to death after he raised the price three baht from the previous month.
“Thai people, listen to me: We are not made of money,” declared Andrea Silverstein, a fast-talking British backpacker who was “appalled” that prices were at least five percent more than the Lonely Planet guide said they would be.
Americans who are paid in dollars are especially in dire circumstances. They claim that they have already lost 20 percent of their large salaries in the past few years, and rising rice prices will cause them to cut down on drinking or paying for more expensive farang food.
Some foreigners have decided to take action. Renowned farang beggar Marcus Stevenson says he is planning a march on the Commerce Ministry to call for cheaper prices.
“Not every farang is sipping cocktails at Vertigo, and I think that Thais need to hear that as well,” said Stevenson. “Sure we might make double, triple or quadruple what Thai make for the same amount of work, but our traveling and living costs are much higher. Thais don’t need serviced apartments, laundry service, pools, fitness rooms and UBC. We do. And those things cost money.”
To coincide with the rising prices, Stevenson has started asking Thais for 1,500 baht contributions instead of 1,000 baht. He says he has “almost” made enough money to finally go home and should have enough cash in a few more years.
