http://edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/s...nother_activity_for_college_students.html#p_3
Sex-buying 'just another activity' for university studentsFor some college students, buying sex is just another form of entertainment.
Visiting sex workers with friends is a regular social activity for some young men.
University student Joe was more excited about his friends including him for their monthly spa visits rather than the visit itself. It meant that he has been accepted as a member of that group, especially when they initiated him into his first experience with a sex worker.
“When I first started out three years ago, I was nervous about asking for the girls. But now when I feel like it, I’d invite a few other friends to accompany me. Now, I know who to approach at the spas and hotels for girls.
“We’d usually go in a group of three or four, or it may just be only two of us. It’s never fun if you go alone,” said Joe, 23, who also sees the activity as a “bonding experience”.
Sometimes, there is peer pressure to conform to the monthly ritual of visiting sex workers.
United Nations HIV and AIDS Coordinator for Malaysia Azrul Mohd Khalib, who has been monitoring the sex-buying scene in the country, said that younger men tend to visit sex workers in a group.
“Older men tend to visit sex workers individually and discreetly. But younger men, especially college students and fresh graduates, go in groups. They go to spas and karaokes. Some have parties where they hire girls,” said Azrul.
For some college students, buying sex is a way of life, especially for those with more disposable income. They see it as just another form of entertainment, and are quite blasé about buying sex as “everyone I know does it”.
The Malaysian sex-buying community is active online, and it is not difficult to access the sites where they share references and experiences. There is even a local lingo; engaging a sex worker is called cheong, and a person who does it is called a “cheongster”.
College student John joined one of these cheongster forums, and followed the discussions. He finally posted a request for recommendations, but it took a few days before anyone responded to him as he was a new member.
Members of these forums are generally wary of giving out such information; there is an unspoken barter system and they only trust members whom they are familiar with.
John called the number, and the guy at the end of the line verified his reference.
“He told me to go to a hotel in Subang Jaya (Selangor). When I got there, he directed me to the room and showed me several girls from China. I didn’t like any of them, and he told me he’d call me again when he has new girls.
“He called me a few days after that, and said that he has a Chinese student from a public university available for RM200 (S$84). I declined, and he has not called me since then.”
John said he was a little nervous as it was his first sex-buying experience. He admitted that it was a little awkward, but not terribly intimidating as the pimp and girls were all really “matter-of-fact”. They continued to be civil even when John left without choosing anyone.
John also left a comment on the forum asking to connect with other college students who are into buying sex. He did not get replies from students, but there were comments advising him to date his college mates instead of spending money buying sex.
A female sex worker’s race is identified by codes such as NL (“Nasi Lemak” for Malays), CKT (“Char Kuay Teow” for Chinese), Tosai (for Indians) and Tomyam (for Thais).
There is a glossary for the many abbreviations used, so it is fairly easy to grasp the lingo.
With such online activities, buying sex has become so much more convenient as forum members share information on everything from recommending their favourite sex workers, to which clinic to go for sexually-transmitted infections (STI) treatment.
There are also sites where cheongsters post their “field reports”, where they rate the various services offered and describe their experiences. One site offers cheongsters RM30 for their field reports. But some of these reports look like they were written by the same person, as a glowing review would entice readers to ask for that particular girl’s number. This will cost RM30 in “donation”.
For some, sex buying websites also enable them to choose the girls and venues that are most suitable for them, without the awkwardness of being seen in certain establishments or the fear of being caught in raids.
