# Is Josef Mengele Alive and Well in Thailand? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447 "2012-09-12T00:26:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/1 "2012-09-12T00:26:50Z")
He could very well be, judging from [this photo](http://www.thesharkguys.com/pics/a-nazi-lab-in-thailands-northeast/). :eek: The picture was taken in our northeastern province of Roi Et. A friend of mine who lives there took it, and I supplied it to The Shark Guys myself. (One of them, the one who lives here in Bangkok, is a friend of mine.) The friend who took the photo does not know anything about the lab. I suggested he make an appointment to have some work done to see what’s what, but that was met with silence. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/2 "2012-09-12T00:38:18Z")
Is that not just a phonetic transcription of the Thai characters? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/3 "2012-09-12T00:41:06Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Is that not just a phonetic transcription of the Thai characters? Not exactly. There is no Z sound in Thai. A straight phonetic transcription would, as The Shark Guys indicated, be “Na-See.” But that’s still not a name I’ve ever come across over here. There is such a lack of understanding of Nazi Germany over here that my take is it probably really was named by someone who vaguely recalled the Nazis having something to do with medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/4 "2012-09-12T00:44:47Z")
If you mean literally, he’s celebrating his 101st birthday this year. Otherwise, even the “Shark Guys” link admits that it’s just a cute coincidence. That said, there is a bit of an interesting cultural trend in Thailand called “Nazi chic,” which is [just what it sounds like](http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/67049316.html), if a little less intentionally offensive than Westerners are likely to interpret it. There isn’t the same inherent revulsion in the East to Nazism that there is in the West, much the same way (I imagine) we **know** things like the Khmer Rouge were bad but don’t **feel** it the same way a Cambodian might. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/5 "2012-09-12T00:47:44Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > That said, there is a bit of an interesting cultural trend in Thailand called “Nazi chic,” which is [just what it sounds like](http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/67049316.html), if a little less intentionally offensive than Westerners are likely to interpret it. There isn’t the same inherent revulsion in the East to Nazism that there is in the West, much the same way (I imagine) we **know** things like the Khmer Rouge were bad but don’t **feel** it the same way a Cambodian might. That’s no worse than the pro-bin Laden T-shirts they sell on the street down in Arab Town. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/6 "2012-09-12T01:16:27Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Not exactly. There is no Z sound in Thai. A straight phonetic transcription would, as The Shark Guys indicated, be “Na-See.” But that’s still not a name I’ve ever come across over here. There is such a lack of understanding of Nazi Germany over here that my take is it probably really was named by someone who vaguely recalled the Nazis having something to do with medicine. I would add too that while Thai also has no V sound but you still commonly see the letter V used as W in transliterations, the letter Z is never – and I mean _never_ – used in transliterations, not for S or anything else. It’s pretty clear they meant what it looks like, although I do think (hope?) it’s all innocent. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/7 "2012-09-12T01:16:59Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > If you mean literally, he’s celebrating his 101st birthday this year. But maybe he’s just the incarnation of some ancient demon. Or maybe [Sigmund Rascher](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Rascher) freezes him solid every night. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/8 "2012-09-12T01:21:50Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > If you mean literally, he’s celebrating his 101st birthday this year. > [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > If Mengele were alive today, he’d be well over 100. Geez, guys, my Mengele comment was just a joke. I don’t really believe he could be here. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/9 "2012-09-12T01:30:06Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Is that not just a phonetic transcription of the Thai characters? > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Not exactly. There is no Z sound in Thai. A straight phonetic transcription would, as The Shark Guys indicated, be “Na-See.” But that’s still not a name I’ve ever come across over here. There is such a lack of understanding of Nazi Germany over here that my take is it probably really was named by someone who vaguely recalled the Nazis having something to do with medicine. > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I would add too that while Thai also has no V sound but you still commonly see the letter V used as W in transliterations, the letter Z is never – and I mean _never_ – used in transliterations, not for S or anything else. It’s pretty clear they meant what it looks like, although I do think (hope?) it’s all innocent. Oh, and as the wife just pointed out and which I should have thought of before, the transliteration in the photo is actually going from English (or German rather) to Thai, not vice versa. “Na-See” is how the Thais do pronunce Nazi, that old German, um, cultural organization. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/10 "2012-09-12T01:33:14Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > Otherwise, even the “Shark Guys” link admits that it’s just a cute coincidence. That said, there is a bit of an interesting cultural trend in Thailand called “Nazi chic,” which is [just what it sounds like](http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/67049316.html), if a little less intentionally offensive than Westerners are likely to interpret it. There isn’t the same inherent revulsion in the East to Nazism that there is in the West, much the same way (I imagine) we **know** things like the Khmer Rouge were bad but don’t **feel** it the same way a Cambodian might. I’d be offended by Khmer Rouge chic, and I’m a clueless white person who only knows vaguely that it was a genocide somewhere in Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/11 "2012-09-12T14:05:49Z")
I’m not being critical of Siam Sam or anything. However, I do wonder about some excuse about “a different culture” when obviously people know the word Nazi anyway. It just seems to me to be a ruse to get some interest or publicity. I would find it highly unlikely that someone could just pluck a word out of history less than a century old without selecting a word that would attract attention. Again, I am not being critical of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/12 "2012-09-12T14:42:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Geez, guys, my Mengele comment was just a joke. I don’t really believe he could be here. 😕 Well, of course you don’t…but, of course, that’s exactly what he \*\*\*wants \*\*\*you to think! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/13 "2012-09-12T16:27:40Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > However, I do wonder about some excuse about “a different culture” when obviously people know the word Nazi anyway. It just seems to me to be a ruse to get some interest or publicity. Not necessarily. The word Nazi is widely known here but not the connotations. As I’ve detailed before, my wife’s nephew was a huge fan of Hitler and the Nazis due mainly to the snappy uniforms and such. The kid never did understand why I was not impressed with his “internationalism” in the form of his Hitler worship. After all, I’m a Westerner, Hitler was a Westerner … he was honestly confused. A somewhat related thread is here: [Naughty Little Girls: Thai Female Catholic Hitler Youth](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=625800&highlight=Naughty) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/14 "2012-09-12T17:57:36Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Not necessarily. The word Nazi is widely known here but not the connotations. As I’ve detailed before, my wife’s nephew was a huge fan of Hitler and the Nazis due mainly to the snappy uniforms and such. The kid never did understand why I was not impressed with his “internationalism” in the form of his Hitler worship. After all, I’m a Westerner, Hitler was a Westerner … he was honestly confused. > > A somewhat related thread is here: [Naughty Little Girls: Thai Female Catholic Hitler Youth](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=625800&highlight=Naughty) So, did he get it once you explained the whole genocide thing? “It was like the Khmer Rouge or the Japanese in China, but in Europe.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/15 "2012-09-12T17:58:52Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I’d be offended by Khmer Rouge chic, and I’m a clueless white person who only knows vaguely that it was a genocide somewhere in Asia. So would I, in principle - but I’m not sure I’d recognize it if I saw it. Did the Khmer Rouge have distinctive iconography? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-josef-mengele-alive-and-well-in-thailand/634447/16 "2012-09-13T02:43:53Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > So, did he get it once you explained the whole genocide thing? “It was like the Khmer Rouge or the Japanese in China, but in Europe.” No, he didn’t. He truly never did. Now that he’s an adult – pushing 30, I believe – he does understand these things can be offensive, but he does not understand why. Thais look on Cambodians as little more than animals anyway, so that whole Khmer Rouge thing is lost on him too as of no special interest. Most Thais probably don’t have a real understanding of what Japan did in China, or at the very least just a vague knowledge that [Mr. Garret]“They were bad”[/Mr. Garrett]. (The school system seems to be rather poor in teaching history. Whether this has anything to do with Japan being Thailand’s top foreign-aid donor and foreign investor, I have no idea.) Not my (now-deceased] mother-in-law though, who really was Chinese – she lived her as a resident alien – who I was told had to be disguised as a little boy back in China during the occupation, so she would not get raped.