Posted on 12/23/2006 5:15:33 PM PST by Dallas59
BANGKOK (AFP) - "I could not find anybody in the States. There was nothing in America for me. That's why I'm here," says the clean-cut 52-year-old bachelor, who bears a passing resemblance to Hollywood actor Michael Douglas.
Sullivan, an emergency nurse from Florida, is one of a growing number of foreign men seeking young and beautiful Thai brides via the Internet.
Speaking at the Bangkok office of Sweet Singles, a Thai bride-by-Internet company, Sullivan says he has decided to "go beyond boundaries" in his search for a wife after a futile quest in the United States.
"American women in my age are, basically, a wreck. They are physically and emotionally beaten up from relationships and life. They are untrusting," says the well-built Sullivan, sporting a pink shirt and white pants.
"I think the feminist movement in America in the 60s really trashed American feminism. American women lack a certain femininity about them that women of other countries have," he laughs.
Sullivan contacted Sweet Singles six months ago and was introduced to Yoshita Tongsalee, an attractive 27-year-old teacher of traditional Thai dancing.
After corresponding with her via e-mails for three weeks, Sullivan decided to meet her and flew to Bangkok in early December.
"Just from e-mails, I knew she was the one. I just knew," says the American, his emerald earring dazzling.
"I find Thai women in general to be less self-centered and more family-centered than I find in western women," he says. The couple plans to marry next year.
John, a 43-year-old Briton who got married to a Thai woman four years ago via an Internet bride agency, also has grievances about western women.
"English women are very demanding and they expect you to be good-looking and have plenty of money and give them lots of attention. They drink a lot and they smoke a lot and they eat a lot," says John, who declined to give his last name.
"I am not very good at getting women anyway. I'm not the best-looking guy in the world. I'm quite short and it's very hard for me to find an English woman who is shorter than me," he says on the telephone from London.
Before marrying his Thai bride, John dated six British women, but his relationships with them were anything but happy.
"I'm just fed up with British women. They are not so loyal," he says.
When he met six Thai ladies in Bangkok via the Internet, including a 32-year-old business woman who later became his wife, John says he was struck by their kindness and family-centered values.
"I think Thai women are more loyal to their husbands. They are not just 'take, take take.' Also they have old-fashioned family values, which we used to have in this country," he says. John and his wife now have two young boys.
John and Marc declined to say how much they paid to get their Thai wives. Sweet Singles says it can charge a foreign man up to 1,700 dollars for a three-year membership to meet Thai ladies.
Some 10,000 foreign men have signed up with Sweet Singles over the last decade, and nearly half of them were previously divorced, says Bee, the company's customer service manager.
Some 80 percent of them get married to Thai women through the agency.
Americans account for 60 percent of the company's male clients, with the rest mostly from Australia, Britain, Germany and Scandinavian countries. Their average age ranges from 55 to 60.
Some 20,000 Thai women have also joined Sweet Singles, with their ages ranging from 20 to 40. The company charges a Thai woman 700 baht (20 dollars) for membership.
Bee, a petite 40-something, says Thai woman often have a favorable impression of foreigners.
"Many Thai girls were disappointed by Thai men who are famous for womanizing, drinking and gambling. Thai woman believe Caucasian men are more responsible and sincere and not playing around with other women," she says.
Thanitchaya Buaban, a striking 26-year-old beauty from Thailand's northern tourist spot of Chiang Mai, says she used to have a Thai boyfriend but he cheated on her many times.
"I was heart-broken. After I joined Sweet Singles, I started meeting foreigners and they were very kind and polite," she says at the firm's office.
Thanitchaya says she now has many American suitors who are trying to win her love with diamond rings and necklaces.
"I'm going to choose the best one," she says with a big smile.
For Sullivan's fiancee Yoshita, her experiences with Thai men were more traumatic.
"I was planning to marry my first Thai boyfriend, but he did not show up on our wedding day. He embarrassed me and my family," Yoshita says. "My second boyfriend cheated on me and impregnated another woman."
But Yoshita, who wears a golden heart necklace, says she is looking forward to living in Florida with the man of her dreams -- even if she still refers to him by his last name.
"I believe Mr Sullivan is a gift from God. He is really a good man and respects me. Every day I pray and thank Buddha for giving me Mr Sullivan," she says.
Sullivan nodded and held her hand.
"I have to step outside my own culture to find someone with whom I am compatible. I am not narrow-minded in that regard," he smiles.
You nailed it precisely.
Merry Christmas everybody. My grandmother called my grandfather by his last name all of her life. When she married him, it was as a "mail order" bride after her fist husband had been gunned down by her brother.
Her brother had been offended that her husband had been named the executor of their father's estate. She had come to the New Mexico Territory in a covered wagon when she was a very young girl. Pat Garrett had been a "guest of honor" at her first wedding (my sister inherited the tea set he gave as a wedding gift).
Fourty years ago tonight Tony Hartman tore down my sections Christmas tree on Okinawa, then later woke all of us up again to apologize. Semper Fi.
And I am talking about married male aduterers, of whom I know quite a few.
Judging from those that I know who are single again the dating scene is a wreck as well. Perhaps it was the divorces that did it but the women he meets are a disaster.
No, actually, I believe you said you were "just curious" which you weren't at all. You were looking to pick a fight.
Second, reread the article. Many of my words come directly from the article.
Third, you know NOTHING about me...and I only get full of sour grapes when I listen to the chauvinist piggery that occassionally infects Free Republic.
'Cuz y'know, 50 year old fat-assed screeching American harpies with dog-chewed-on-it haircuts are such a prize.
There's huge overseas traffic in America mail-order-brides:
"Looking for fat-assed overpriviledged American wife to bust my balls for me and run up my credit cards."
Chompak, Thailand.
Eew. I actually know one of these losers.
I wonder if it has something to do with their mothers...?
Yeah! The antidote to the typical American wife--sounds like my wife!
God Bless you.
All Thai people are great. Some of the nicest people in the world, one of the reasons I enjoy the place, all people are treated with dignity and respect.
And the scuba diving is awesome.
There's huge overseas traffic/interest in marrying ANYONE American.. Plenty of foreign men use American women as their ticket to America, just like plenty of foreign women use American men as their ticket to get here.
...his emerald earring dazzling....
&&
Hmmm...I wonder how many women in his age group were attracted to that.
One thing I found in common among Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
They all had "Marriage Bureau's", which were nothing less than government sponsored man traps designed to export as many of their women as possible to America.
In Korea and Taiwan they were nearly bordello's, in Japan they were more subtle, but the goal was the same.
The goal is to export their young women to become keys to importing American dollars and exporting their elderly.
Once ONE member of the family becomes an American the whole clan moves to the front of the line for Legal immigration to the U.S.
Stop this stupid policy and these enterprises will greatly diminish in number.
The whole world appears to hate us, but they have no trouble with myriad efforts to exploit us, and they all want to live here.
They "love" your wallet, baby, don't think they don't....
...As an American Woman, one look at an ER nurse in a pink shirt, white pants, and an emerald earring, and all I'd be thinking is GAY GAY GAY.
***
LOL! I thought the same thing.
You find that odd? Are you a FemmiNazi? ROTFLMTWO
Typical American women.
You seem to have made some horrible, horrible relationship decisions.
Like marrying a typical American woman.
I've met some screaming harpies myself, and generally they're the women who landed a man who was dazzled by Cindy Crawfordesque looks and porn-star bedroom skills and never bothered to look for morals or brains.
How did they get so fat so fast!?
So guys, if you were thinking with the wrong part of your anatomy, I can't say I'm feeling too sorry for you for the screaming harpy you were saddled with...
'Cuz y'know, the angry lumpy ones got it goin' on!
Maybe guys want some hot loyal women with brains, morals and the pornstar skillz. Only American women think those things are incompatible. 'Cuz Oprah told 'em....
Women generally outlive men, marrying an older man pretty well guarantees they get it all that much sooner.
The kids from prior marriages are probably not too happy to see their inheritance disappear in this way.
Honey, Al Qaida marrying a fat leftist doesn't count....
LOL! This was a dead giveaway: ...sporting a pink shirt and white pants.
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