It is usually true as I have tried to indicate. The smile, the walking away, the non-response to a question, answering a different question. A Thai is taught at home and in school to avoid conflict. After posting this morning I was chatting with a Thai friend about how one can square a principle of no conflict with a lawyer fighting your corner in a court case. A long and interesting discussion on how far a Thai lawyer can go in court without annoying the judges or being too forceful with the other side. She cited the example of her not getting on with her mother in law so she avoids her. She accepted that in the west the two would get together and attempt to sort their differences for the sake of the husband and grandchild but she can not do that here The original poster made some interesting observations but I suppose naturally the focus has been on the sex industry.