Ten Vietnamese women were arrested in Bangkok’s Lumpini area on 23 May 2026 during a crackdown on street prostitution, before having their visas revoked and being blacklisted from returning to Thailand.
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The operation was carried out under the direction of Pol Maj Gen Prasart Khemaprasit, commander of Immigration Division 1, alongside senior immigration officers Pol Col Keeratisak Kongkiatsiris and Pol Col Phonsit Suttiart. Officers from the Immigration Bureau worked jointly with Lumpini police and officials from the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
Authorities said the women were detained while approaching, following and soliciting people along public roads and in public places in the Lumpini district for the purpose of prostitution. Officials stated that the activity caused disturbance and nuisance to both residents and tourists in the area.
The arrests formed part of a wider campaign targeting foreign nationals suspected of violating the Immigration Act BE 2522 and other related laws. Investigators from the Phra Nakhon Tai operations unit, led by Pol Lt Col Thaweesap Chaiphum and Pol Lt Col Suriyo Chaiyot, were tasked with gathering intelligence and preventing crimes linked to immigration offences.
Following the arrests, officials from the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development imposed administrative fines of 1,000 baht on each of the 10 women under Section 5 of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act.
However, authorities moved beyond financial penalties. After the completion of the ministry’s legal procedures, Lumpini police submitted reports of the women’s behaviour to Immigration Division 1 for further action.
Pol Maj Gen Prasart subsequently approved the immediate revocation of the women’s temporary permission to remain in Thailand under Section 12(8) of the Immigration Act BE 2522, citing behaviour considered a threat to society and public order.
All 10 women were then transferred to Division 3 of the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division for detention and deportation proceedings. Thai authorities also confirmed the group would be added to a blacklist preventing them from re-entering the country in future.
Amarin reported that the operation reflects ongoing efforts by Thai authorities to intensify enforcement against immigration and prostitution-related offences in central Bangkok, particularly in areas popular with tourists and nightlife visitors.
Picture courtesy of Amarin
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Amarin 24 May 2026