Eastern European Working Girls Rounded Up, Fined,

[libya 115]

SOURCE: Pattaya City News: March 12th 2007

Immigration round-up suspected Uzbekistani Prostitutes on Walking Street.

On Sunday Night, Pattaya’s Immigration Bureau conducted an operation on Walking Street to arrest suspected Eastern European Prostitutes who can often be seen in the South Pattaya area at night.

The group, who mostly target middle-eastern tourists, were rounded up by the Officers and taken to Pattaya Police Station. The group of 10 Uzbekistani Nationals were all fined 1,000 Baht each and released.

Later that night, we spotted the women back on Walking Street where they continued their search for customers.

[suiging]

By the fine the police acknowledge the girls were "working". If they were "working" where were their work permits? If they had none why weren't they deported ?

Cash cows is a phrase that springs to mind.

[Phil Conners]

Funny, innit?

[tuky]

revenue raising...

[The Dan Sai Kid]

So if any ladies out there are getting a bit worried about teaching without credentials they can get down to Pattaya and take less risky work.

What a joke this is!

[tuky]

Later that night, we spotted the women back on Walking Street where they continued their search for customers.

Will they not learn their lesson ?

I guess prices went up that night.

[johnh101]

Direct taxation.

[Kerryd]

Direct taxation.

What is most unusual about this story is that the girls weren't deported. As many of you know, these girls (Uzbeks or Khazaks or what ever), generally get rounded up every 2-3 months (perhaps when their earnings start to drop, or they learn to hide more of their earnings, or they start getting a bit rebellious). They get sent home, and a fresh new crop are dropped in on 30 days VOAs.

Perhaps the "round-up" was meant to be more of a "wake-up" call to the girls, to remind them of just how easy it would be to have them sent back to "Repressive-stan" if they didn't start producing a little more.

[libya 115]

SOURCE: Pattaya People: March 16th 2007

******NEWS******UPDATE******

Foreign Prostitutes on Walking Street - Alarm Bells Ring!

At 2.00am on 12th March, Pattaya Immigration Chief, Police Colonel Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai and his team went out to inspect the city and were able to arrest ten suspect women on Walking Street for practicing the oldest profession in the world, prostitution.

Many reports came in from tourists, complaining that they get bothered and propositioned by the many foreign prostitutes especially on Walking Street and requested the police to do something about it.

The patrol, found these ladies behaving as told so detained them and took a number of them to Pattaya Police Station for questioning.

Ten of these foreign ladies told the police that they came to Thailand for a holiday, and when they ran out of money, they had to do this in order to live. But the police did not believe them because from records, they are the same faces that frequent the area regularly for prostitution purposes. Other than that, from the ten women; two were from the Republic of Uzbekistan, aged 20 and 23, whose passports had expired.

All were charged with a 500 Baht fine and then released, but also recorded as evidence. As for the two Uzbekistan women that passports expired, they will be deported out of Thailand.

This is the first symptom of a developing crime in Pattaya. In Western European countries this had already happened on a big scale. In most cases, the ladies are controlled by a mafia style gang of pimps who demand money from the women for ‘so called’ protecting them – sometimes these ladies do not even get paid. Some are forced to do prostitution in order to save themselves from being harmed by the mafia gang members.

The foreign mafia gangs as such, will start up with prostitution rackets and when the ground gets firm they develop their crimes into drug dealing, extortion, violence, and even killings. This is a dangerous

path, which can’t be avoided. If stopped in its birth this issue cannot spread like a cancer and become “business” in Pattaya.

These foreign ladies should not be doing this in Pattaya. If the authorities allow them to continue operating here then problems will begin.

Alarm bells have already rung. Police in high command are alerted and are very much aware of this problem. At the moment Pattaya Immigration are cooperating with the Royal Thai Police. They check right from the start as these ladies arrive at the airport if they really come to Thailand as a tourist/visitor, how much money do they have? At the moment the total that police demand is not less than 5,000 Baht to be a tourist in Thailand, which is quite low. Can anyone with 5,000 Baht come to Thailand as a tourist? Would that be enough to travel and survive in Thailand?

At the moment there are about 50 known foreign prostitutes here in Pattaya. Actually they travel around Thailand to any tourist city but the reason that they choose to stay at Pattaya the most is because a large number of Arabs stay in Pattaya. A lot of these ladies are Muslims; they target Arabian men because they can speak Arabian. They would offer sex, negotiate their price, and then go to the men’s hotel rooms. The reason that these prostitutes are so difficult to control is because they come into Thailand as tourists. They travel alone – even when they enter Thailand, they come separately and then meet later.

Mostly they stay in cheap rented apartments. They always move around and never stay at the same place for long periods to avoid being inspected. However, once the police catch them they are not afraid at all. Their reactions are to act na๏ve and innocent. They have learnt well before they entered Thailand. Whenever they get arrested, they would go directly to their embassy, which often helps exacerbate the situation by extending their time in the country. They are also not afraid of the police because the police cannot speak English or Arabian. This really makes the police frustrated.

Usually, it is a 500 Baht penalty because that’s currently the fine according to the Thai law for prostitutes. There is not enough evidence to do much to them because they always get away with being a tourist. Unless the police can find that their passports or visas expired, then they can track down more information and they can be blacklisted or deported according to the proceedings. These women are very afraid of being blacklisted because it means that they would not be able to come back into Thailand anymore. The plan at the moment and all that the police can do is to check their passports as often as possible when seeing someone suspicious - maybe they can be caught with overstaying.

But it is very difficult for Immigration to control. When the police catch them at hotels the women would claim that they stay there or they are staying with their boyfriends, which is of course their customers. They do not hang around only in Walking Street; but also at discotheques, bars and hotels. They are in fact everywhere. One possible suggestion is that undercover officers could undertake a sting operation as they do successfully with drug dealers. Record the evidence and allow themselves to be propositioned by the women and then make an arrest.