Thai sex workers in Germany may be charged with not having work permit

[snoop1130]

Thai sex workers in Germany may be charged with not having work permit

By Suriya Patatayoh 
The Nation

 

Pol General Thammasak Witchayara, chairman of the subcommittee on anti-transnational human trafficking chairs a meeting on Thursday.

 

Thais rounded up in Germany’s biggest crackdown on crime rings, which are suspected of smuggling hundreds of women and transsexuals from Thailand for prostitution, were likely to be charged first with working as prostitutes without work permit.

 

Deputy national police chief Pol General Srivara Rangsibhramanakul said on Thursday that while prostitution is legal in Germany sex workers have to have a work permit.

 

Srivara said he had already assigned the Foreign Affairs and AntiHuman Trafficking divisions to seek more information about Wednesday’s nationwide raids.

 

The divisions were also ordered to examine all aspects to know who was involved in the racket. The guilty people would certainly be severely punished, Srivara said.

 

Meanwhile, Pol General Thammasak Witchayara, chairman of the subcommittee on anti-transnational human trafficking, said the Thai side would contact Germany to know details about the crackdown.

 

Thai and German police have been cooperating in tackling human trafficking, Thammasak said, adding his side is considering sending police officers to Germany as some Thais were detained in the case.

 

It is not yet known how many Thais have been detained in the crackdown, which involved a record 15,000 officers raiding more than 60 brothels and flats in 12 of Germany’s 16 states. Prosecutors have 56 suspects in their sights, 41 of them women.

 

Among the arrested were seven people suspected of having been leaders in the ring, one of them a 59-year-old Thai woman who was identified as leader of the crime network that smuggled Thai women and transsexuals to Germany with fraudulent visas for forced prostitution.

 

The woman and her 62yearold German partner were taken into custody on outstanding arrest warrants. The rest of the detainees could be treated as victims.

 

The women brought to Germany “had to hand over 100 per cent of their wages to the operators of the respective ‘massage parlours’ to pay off their smuggling fee”, ranging from 16,000 euros (Bt640,000) to 36,000 euros, AFP quoted Alexander Badle, spokesman for the Frankfurt prosecutor’s office, as saying. He said that other than human trafficking, forced prostitution, procurement and embezzlement of wages, the ring leaders also face charges of tax evasion.

 

Some of the suspects could face up to 15 years in prison.

 

Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said that several hundred women and men were at the mercy of the inhumane, boundless greed of human smugglers for years and across borders.

 

He said that while the Thai victims were aware that they were being taken to German brothels, they were duped about the “conditions, including the fact that they would receive virtually no remuneration”.

 

They were brought to Europe on tourist visas that explicitly prohibited work, and spoke no German, leaving them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, Badle added.

 

He said immigration authorities would now examine the victims’ legal status to determine how long they could stay in Germany. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30343500

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-4-19

[anon789561]

do the Thai authorities give a toss about those women or do they really only care about the bad publicity. i think the latter

[Odysseus123]

Well..geez..

 

What is the world coming to?

 

Have you ever encountered a German prostitute?

 

"The hills are alive to the sound of panzers.."

[Expatthailover]

1 minute ago, Happy enough said:

do the Thai authorities give a toss about those women or do they really only care about the bad publicity. i think the latter

I'm very surprised you think that way. 

Ypu certainly dont seem the sort whp has an axe to grind against RTP.

When nationals from other countries get arrested do you think the same way or is it only thailand.

[Expatthailover]

1 minute ago, Odysseus123 said:

Well..geez..

 

What is the world coming to?

 

Have you ever encountered a German prostitute?

 

"The hills are alive to the sound of panzers.."

Stop please my sides are splitting. The old ww2 german gags never lose their gloss

[anon789561]

5 minutes ago, Expatthailover said:

I'm very surprised you think that way. 

Ypu certainly dont seem the sort whp has an axe to grind against RTP.

When nationals from other countries get arrested do you think the same way or is it only thailand.

no axe to grind with anyone. i just said as i think to be the case. hundreds trafficked that they could have done something about but really didn't care, until that is it hits international media. i know you'd comment with your very admirable thai protectionist stance as you do on everything thai but i just say it how i see it

*"When nationals from other countries get arrested do you think the same way or is it only thailand."

it's about thais, on a thai forum. i'll comment on other nations when and where relevant

Edited April 19, 2018 by Happy enough
*

[watcharacters]

 

I flat out don't believe 15,000 German cops were involved in such a relatively small operation.

 

The numbers must be a part of fiction.   

 

150 or incredibly perhaps 1500 but NOT 15,000!

[Odysseus123]

2 minutes ago, Expatthailover said:

Stop please my sides are splitting. The old ww2 german gags never lose their gloss

Possibly or possibly not..

 

But you are very predictable too.

 

..and yes,the Germans were a scream a minute.Would you not agree?

 

I  should say that they will provide comedy until the seventh generation.Why not.So it is written.

[anon789561]

3 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

I flat out don't believe 15,000 German cops were involved in such a relatively small operation.

 

The numbers must be a part of fiction.   

 

150 or incredibly perhaps 1500 but NOT 15,000!

according the wikipedia, which i know is often BS, that's half of the entire police force. kind of hard to believe for a hooker operation with all the other troubles they have there

[BEVUP]

It sounds as though the Germans may take pitty on them

One moment they say they were victims, then they say they knew they were coming to work in Brothels but not to be ripped off, then there going to check if they are allowed to stay longer if their Visa is still current.

 

We would be tarred & feathered & sent on the next plane back after the fines here in Thailand

[BEVUP]

34 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Among the arrested were seven people suspected of having been leaders in the ring, one of them a 59-year-old Thai woman who was identified as leader of the crime network that smuggled Thai women and transsexuals to Germany with fraudulent visas for forced prostitution.

This may help the Thai side to get her contacts here, when they search her mobile or the house phone records

[Odysseus123]

1 minute ago, BEVUP said:

This may help the Thai side to get her contacts here, when they search her mobile or the house phone records

Gee,,

 

Ma gawd..I hope they get her phone otherwise the end of western civilization is nigh...

 

..and we wouldn't want that.would we?

[jaltsc]

"...the Thai side would contact Germany to know details about the crackdown."

Leave it to the Thais to get the details  upside down.

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, watcharacters said:

 

I flat out don't believe 15,000 German cops were involved in such a relatively small operation.

 

The numbers must be a part of fiction.   

 

150 or incredibly perhaps 1500 but NOT 15,000!

"The Nation" and numbers, they will hardly get it right.

1500 is reported in German sources.

Still the biggest search/raid in Federal Police history.

I join the opinion of many reader comments in German sources and wish they would put the same effort in other criminal activities/groups.

 

 

 

[anon789561]

3 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

"The Nation" and numbers, they will hardly get it right.

1500 is reported in German sources.

Still the biggest search/raid in Federal Police history.

I join the opinion of many reader comments in German sources and wish they would put the same effort in other criminal activities/groups.

 

 

 

terrorism for a start

can't help but think that the main reason for all the raids is due to tax evasion more than anything else

Edited April 19, 2018 by Happy enough

[Thian]

22 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

terrorism for a start

can't help but think that the main reason for all the raids is due to tax evasion more than anything else

There are loads of E-European prostitutes in brothels in Germany, that's not the issue i bet. Human trafficking and tax evasion is the problem i bet.

[anon789561]

10 minutes ago, Thian said:

There are loads of E-European prostitutes in brothels in Germany, that's not the issue i bet. Human trafficking and tax evasion is the problem i bet.

tax evasion. has to be about money to launch an operation that big. same the world over

[Sonhia]

About time!

 

 

[Thian]

24 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

tax evasion. has to be about money to launch an operation that big. same the world over

It must be 1500 policemen i bet....get tired of the nation and Thai who can't count zero's.

 

I don't know if prostitutes pay tax in germany, if so as less as possible i bet.

 

But human trafficking and HIV is a real no go area....anyway, good that they did it...The German rescueteams were sent back after they arrived within 24 hrs after the big tsunami, they didn't have workpermits the Thai told them, so nach hause bitte, und schnell...

[CG1 Blue]

Perhaps the Thai ladies are a soft target for the German authorities

 

Easier than tackling the more serious issues surrounding the politically sensitive groups they have there in abundance.

[DrTuner]

No WP? Well, all a Thai pro has to do is to make a company (of which they will own only the minority) and hire 4 German prostitutes .. ach. Whatever happened to reciprocity, eh?

[BigBadGeordie]

6 hours ago, Expatthailover said:

Stop please my sides are splitting. The old ww2 german gags never lose their gloss

Dont mention the war, I did once, but I think I got away with it.

Basil Fawlty

[zzidenn]

10 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

Perhaps the Thai ladies are a soft target for the German authorities

 

Easier than tackling the more serious issues surrounding the politically sensitive groups they have there in abundance.

I think that the german police force can multitask

[Khun Paul]

No even as an Englishman, I needed a Working permit to work in Germany years ago, that is nothing new. Unless you are a German you need an ( outsiders working permit ) . I was working as a manager for two bars at the time. Prostitution in Germany is legal but controlled with health checks and the like, so if your illegal then the health checks etc, will not be carried out, but then the trafficked women will not be told that .

 

I feel for the trafficked women but not surprised at the situation, hells bells even in Issan they think going to Pattaya and Bangkok will solve their financial problems, so Germany must be like winning the lottery to some. 

[meinphuket]

No work permits....Great ! Give Thailand a taste of its own medicine. Som naam naa....

[meinphuket]

Rather than it being illegal, Thailand should acknowledge the existence of a large sex workers network nationwide, and regulate it. It is ridiculous that every cop knows these sex venues, but allow them  to carry on as ever. Ofcourse the reason is 'incentives'

[watcharacters]

 

From what I've read it appears to me Germany has an enlightened approach to sex workers and their customers.

 

 

[Thian]

26 minutes ago, Khun Paul said:

No even as an Englishman, I needed a Working permit to work in Germany years ago, that is nothing new. Unless you are a German you need an ( outsiders working permit ) . I was working as a manager for two bars at the time. Prostitution in Germany is legal but controlled with health checks and the like, so if your illegal then the health checks etc, will not be carried out, but then the trafficked women will not be told that .

 

I feel for the trafficked women but not surprised at the situation, hells bells even in Issan they think going to Pattaya and Bangkok will solve their financial problems, so Germany must be like winning the lottery to some. 

 If the UK was in the SCHENGEN you would have been allowed to work all over Europe.

[Kieran00001]

14 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Well..geez..

 

What is the world coming to?

 

Have you ever encountered a German prostitute?

 

"The hills are alive to the sound of panzers.."

 

Germany has more prostitutes percapita than Thailand, Hamburg is the hot spot in Europe, rather than as foreign tourists probably think, Amsterdam.

Oh, and the Sound of Music was set in Austria.

[Kieran00001]

20 minutes ago, meinphuket said:

Rather than it being illegal, Thailand should acknowledge the existence of a large sex workers network nationwide, and regulate it. It is ridiculous that every cop knows these sex venues, but allow them  to carry on as ever. Ofcourse the reason is 'incentives'

 

Did you not even realise that the article was about Germany?