Reference: Expat Thais turn to alcohol, Bangkok Post, April 21, 2008

There are tens of thousands of Thais in Taiwan mostly from the impoverished Northeast region who have sold or mortgaged their land to go there. They work long hours and they work very hard under harsh conditions and stern and inhumane supervision and they live in cramped and spartan factory dormitories with fellow Thais. Many return injured or ill. They send millions of dollars per year back to Thailand. There was a riot by Thai workers in Taiwan in 2005. They were protesting their working and living conditions. It is the riot more than drunken disco brawls that characterizes their life over there. The description of these people as drunken "lonesome doves" (Reference: Expat Thais turn to alcohol, Bangkok Post, April 21, 2008) is possibly more anecdotal than representative. As a footnote, if you are used to Beer Chang you will find Taiwan Beer rather weak and insipid. It would be pretty hard to get drunk on that stuff.

Cha-am Jamal

Thailand