Every Farang choosing to stay in Thailand must be aware of some peculiarities of Thai- Character. That includes, above all, a casual dealing with the truth. Lies are certainly not unknown in our countries, and especially our politicians have brought it in that to championship. But neglecting here the issue of truth and falsehood in politics, I prefer to leave it to those people, who earn their money with commenting the inconsistencies of daily politics.

 

I'm referring here to truth and falsehood in Thai-life, or of Thais who are dealing with Farang. For us also, there are differences between different kinds of lies (statistics, as belonging to politics, I want also to neglect here). Nobody will deny that he has occasionally used a white lie when it came to avoid something unpleasant. But Thais also tend to lie, when it brings them no benefit. When posing a question to a Thai, so that it is either a yes or a no as an answer, one will usually get "yes" as an answer, even if it is not true. This quite simply because he believes the Farang would prefer to hear a "yes" for an answer.

                       

In fact, a lie may be told be told, even if the truth would have no unpleasant consequences for the Thai, is something to what the Farang in Thailand must get accustomed to. This also applies to any commitments made by a Thai. Without any hesitation they will deliver any promise to the Farang, even when being aware himself, that it is not possible to o keep that promise. Once a neighbor had borrowed 3000 Baht from me, with the promise to pay it back at the end of the month, and when after 3 months despite frequent reminders I had not seen one Baht, I told to him, that he had lied to me. But he then defended himself indignantly, saying that he honestly intended to pay the money back, and therefore was playing every 14 days in the lottery. That the lottery luck has always passed on him was really not his fault. Because he had offered enough incense and offerings to the spirits.

 

Who can be surprised that girls who have grown up with no regard for the truth, when becoming an adult do not have any problems to lie to the Farang squatting on the bars? Any Farang, who thinks he has found the woman of his dreams, can assume that every word she says is a lie. From the first „Hello, handsome man", and the stereotypical "I love you to much", up to any emergency in the family, requiring her immediate financial assistance.

 

Butt there are exemptions to this rule. If possibly a more serious relationship arises, it sometimes may occur that after a serious accident ore illness, resulting in a long stay in a hospital, a Thai wife or girlfriend will sacrifice everything she has to help her Farang.

 

But this does not change the need for a Farang who wants to live with a Thai-Wife, to take the appropriate precautions and not believe everything that his lady tells him.