Picture: Thai Rath

 

Charismatic cop Pol Lt-Gen Surachate Hakpan - known universally as Big Joke - is following through on his aims to prosecute Thais who prey on children for sex.

 

Thai Rath reported that arrest warrants have been issued in seven cases against eight men who allegedly had sex with young teens.

 

Among them are a doctor, a politician's son and a soldier. 

 

The case is a result of inquiries after a 13 year old girl was involved in arguments at a hotel in Surat Thani, southern Thailand, last November.

 

Procurers of the teens were soon rounded up.

 

Now the RTP are taking the step of going after the men who buy the sex and Big Joke is in no mood for compromise. 

 

He was in Surat Thani yesterday meeting with TICAC (crimes against children) taskforce members.

 

But it has also emerged that one of the teens accused of being a "madam" is just 14 herself. 

 

Surachate was pictured interviewing one suspect, aged 52 and unnamed, already in custody after his arrest in Chaiya district.

 

This man said he had contacted a woman called "Miss B" but claimed he had no idea the girls were underage.

 

He has promised to help the force in their investigations. 

 

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People who bought child sex include doctor, soldier and politician's son.

will we hear anymore about this, or will it just go away.

regards worgeordie

Next step, put all of them behind bars and prove your case. Make an example of them

"Now the RTP are taking the step of going after the men who buy the sex and Big Joke is in no mood for compromise," but NOT going after those that provided the girls... says a lot.

Troll post reported and removed.  

 

The problem of pedophilia continues to be widespread in Thailand, but as so many other things is still swept under the carpet.

 

I vividly recall hooking up with a cute waitress during my early years in Thailand, who hailed from Nakhon Sawan. She was 24 years old at the time according to her ID card. One day soon thereafter she introduced 2 young children to me, a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 8, whom she claimed to be her own offspring. I was shaken to the bone! To make matters worse, she revealed that the girl's father allegedly was her own stepdad! That guy, in his late 40s, was married to her mom... who was only 40 at the time and who had given birth to my waitress girlfriend when she had just turned 15. Needless to say that my relationship with that waitress didn't last long. I just couldn't handle it.

 

This wasn't an isolated case. In the ensuing years I frequently came across young women who had had their first child in their mid-teens. Very often they even had several offspring -- each one of them from a different father.

 

In the 80s and 90s it was very common to stumble across very young girls in go-go bars and hostess lounges even in Bangkok. They usually would show you fake IDs, of course, that "made them" of legal age when in fact they were only 15 or 16, the girls' exceptionally young looks betraying them. In the countryside the situation was even worse, with girls in local brothels frequently being as young as 12 or 13. An "English teacher" once took me along on one of his regular weekend sojourns to Kanchanaburi, where he happily "partook in local customs" as he cynically called it -- at 20 baht a "pop". I literally fled the scene in horror and broke off contact with the "English teacher".

 

My kudos to "Big Joke" for wanting to do something against this disgusting trade. But I think it's going to be an uphill battle. The practice is just too deeply ingrained. Many local males see it as their "manly privilege" to <deleted> just about any female they can lay their hands on - and no matter what their victim's age is. "A doctor, a soldier, and a politician's son"... do you need to know more?     

4 hours ago, worgeordie said:

People who bought child sex include doctor, soldier and politician's son.

will we hear anymore about this, or will it just go away.

regards worgeordie

I think you’re probably right regarding two of the three accused. Not sure a soldier can ever be rich enough to be innocent. 

4 hours ago, RandiRona said:

Next step, put all of them behind bars and prove your case. Make an example of them

Sadly Big Joke can only bring them to the court house......the judge will determine the sentence....which most commenters appear to think will be quite light given their elevated status.

is it really necessary to always start every article about this guy with "charismatic"???

 

If he was really that charismatic it wouldn't be necessary to keep forcing that title on ever reader.

 

I'll make you a deal Big Joke, do your job and stop the child trafficking that seems to be surging right now (like it was several years ago) with these poor kids being exploited and forced to stay up all night selling <deleted> to people on the streets. Protect the kids then I will call you charismatic too!!!!

 

 We all know this wouldn't be possible without the RTP letting it happen in plain sight.

5 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

"Now the RTP are taking the step of going after the men who buy the sex and Big Joke is in no mood for compromise," but NOT going after those that provided the girls... says a lot.

go back and read the OP "Procurers of the teens were soon rounded up." you'll see why your comment is ridiculous

8 hours ago, worgeordie said:

People who bought child sex include doctor, soldier and politician's son.

will we hear anymore about this, or will it just go away.

regards worgeordie

You'll hear about the ones with no connections.. others with influence will be hushed up with a payment to certain people.

It's one thing in Thailand to get arrest warrants... There've been arrest warrants out for the Red Bull kid for years.

 

It's a whole other thing to actually make the arrests and actually bring the suspects to court to face criminal charges and obtain convictions.

 

From the OP article, all that's clear is that at least ONE apparent customer among the mentioned eight customers/men is actually in custody. Who knows about the others?

 

And the same with the alleged procurers. There's mention of one who's a teen-age girl, and no mention or details of anyone else, despite a reference to "Procurers of the teens were soon rounded up."  Oh ya? Who, how many?  Where's the criminal charges filed against them?

 

Let's wait for the day when any of these cases are actually filed in court, the perpetrators actually identified, and convictions and sentences obtained.  Otherwise, it's just Thai police talk.

 

 

At 14 she's not a 'madam'. She's just another abusee trying desperately to survive.

I hope she gets help.

 

16 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

The problem of pedophilia continues to be widespread in Thailand, but as so many other things is still swept under the carpet.

 

I vividly recall hooking up with a cute waitress during my early years in Thailand, who hailed from Nakhon Sawan. She was 24 years old at the time according to her ID card. One day soon thereafter she introduced 2 young children to me, a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 8, whom she claimed to be her own offspring. I was shaken to the bone! To make matters worse, she revealed that the girl's father allegedly was her own stepdad! That guy, in his late 40s, was married to her mom... who was only 40 at the time and who had given birth to my waitress girlfriend when she had just turned 15. Needless to say that my relationship with that waitress didn't last long. I just couldn't handle it.

 

This wasn't an isolated case. In the ensuing years I frequently came across young women who had had their first child in their mid-teens. Very often they even had several offspring -- each one of them from a different father.

 

In the 80s and 90s it was very common to stumble across very young girls in go-go bars and hostess lounges even in Bangkok. They usually would show you fake IDs, of course, that "made them" of legal age when in fact they were only 15 or 16, the girls' exceptionally young looks betraying them. In the countryside the situation was even worse, with girls in local brothels frequently being as young as 12 or 13. An "English teacher" once took me along on one of his regular weekend sojourns to Kanchanaburi, where he happily "partook in local customs" as he cynically called it -- at 20 baht a "pop". I literally fled the scene in horror and broke off contact with the "English teacher".

 

My kudos to "Big Joke" for wanting to do something against this disgusting trade. But I think it's going to be an uphill battle. The practice is just too deeply ingrained. Many local males see it as their "manly privilege" to <deleted> just about any female they can lay their hands on - and no matter what their victim's age is. "A doctor, a soldier, and a politician's son"... do you need to know more?     

I lived in thailand in the late 80's. My feeling was that aw-aw's (wish I knew how to spell that in Thai) were rather common. Even a woman that I worked with at the university knew the term. I would see mamasan with obviously young girls sitting in the coffee shop of the Grace Hotel late in the evenings, and I know some shortime hotels specialized in aw-aw. At that time it was widespread and tolerated like any other prostitution enterprise.

Paedophilia is a civilisation sin, in uncivilised cultures it is normal behaviour. 

16 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

There've been arrest warrants out for the Red Bull kid for years.

Took them five years to issue them, he was out and about in Thailand from 2012 to 2017.

Some off topic posts about a situation going on in the UK have been removed.

On 2/18/2022 at 11:21 AM, Misterwhisper said:

The problem of pedophilia continues to be widespread in Thailand, but as so many other things is still swept under the carpet.

 

I vividly recall hooking up with a cute waitress during my early years in Thailand, who hailed from Nakhon Sawan. She was 24 years old at the time according to her ID card. One day soon thereafter she introduced 2 young children to me, a boy aged 10 and a girl aged 8, whom she claimed to be her own offspring. I was shaken to the bone! To make matters worse, she revealed that the girl's father allegedly was her own stepdad! That guy, in his late 40s, was married to her mom... who was only 40 at the time and who had given birth to my waitress girlfriend when she had just turned 15. Needless to say that my relationship with that waitress didn't last long. I just couldn't handle it.

 

This wasn't an isolated case. In the ensuing years I frequently came across young women who had had their first child in their mid-teens. Very often they even had several offspring -- each one of them from a different father.

 

In the 80s and 90s it was very common to stumble across very young girls in go-go bars and hostess lounges even in Bangkok. They usually would show you fake IDs, of course, that "made them" of legal age when in fact they were only 15 or 16, the girls' exceptionally young looks betraying them. In the countryside the situation was even worse, with girls in local brothels frequently being as young as 12 or 13. An "English teacher" once took me along on one of his regular weekend sojourns to Kanchanaburi, where he happily "partook in local customs" as he cynically called it -- at 20 baht a "pop". I literally fled the scene in horror and broke off contact with the "English teacher".

 

My kudos to "Big Joke" for wanting to do something against this disgusting trade. But I think it's going to be an uphill battle. The practice is just too deeply ingrained. Many local males see it as their "manly privilege" to <deleted> just about any female they can lay their hands on - and no matter what their victim's age is. "A doctor, a soldier, and a politician's son"... do you need to know more?     

What you say it true, but cheap brothels and the acceptance of child prostitution is a thing of the past. Nonetheless it still exists and publicising arrests and convictions is an excellent deterrent.

Highly commendable but Hey BJ have you bought some kevlar for your Lexus ???? 

On 2/17/2022 at 9:21 PM, Misterwhisper said:

The problem of pedophilia continues to be widespread in Thailand,

 

what you describe is disgusting and revolting, but it's not pedophilia.  Pedophiles prey on small children where puberty hasn't started yet, typically under the age of 10.

Anyone cracking down on the scum who prey on kids is ok in my book.

 

But I don’t get why the RTP tolerate BJ turning himself into a media superstar and implying that without him personally getting involved, nobody else is doing anything.  Either he has deep political connections or a lot of dirt on higher ups????‍♂️

On 2/18/2022 at 9:31 AM, RandiRona said:

Next step, put all of them behind bars and prove your case. Make an example of them

 

It isn't how this works in Thailand!!

 

More like leave time to exchange bribes for " it was just a misunderstanding", or to leave the country for a vacation if it gets real serious.

 

 

 

 

On 2/18/2022 at 11:21 AM, Misterwhisper said:

The problem of pedophilia continues to be widespread in Thailand, but as so many other things is still swept under the carpet.

In my experience, many people don't understand that having sex with a 16 or even 15 year old isn't pedophilia, illegal yes. 

I worked with a US guy who got 10 years for having sexual relations with a 15 y/o boy, and accused of being a pedo, he was just a weirdo and pervert,  IMHO, who deserved being locked up but not for that long. 

 

This copper is doing a good job. 

 

On 2/18/2022 at 1:33 PM, Pedrogaz said:

Sadly Big Joke can only bring them to the court house......the judge will determine the sentence....which most commenters appear to think will be quite light given their elevated status.

Nothing elevated about a doctor, a politician's son and a soldier.  They will get justice. 

Very sad story. My heart goes out to the victims

 

32 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

In my experience, many people don't understand that having sex with a 16 or even 15 year old isn't pedophilia, illegal yes. 

I worked with a US guy who got 10 years for having sexual relations with a 15 y/o boy, and accused of being a pedo, he was just a weirdo and pervert,  IMHO, who deserved being locked up but not for that long. 

 

This copper is doing a good job. 

 

Your definition of a pedophile is correct, however the bar on so many things has been lowered these days. These days it's common for ppl to refer to all underage sex as pedophilia. Similarly all sex work is trafficking. Apparently any US military in the presence of Thai women risk being court marshaled for trafficking.

 

Besides tackling the demand side, Thailand could also do something about the supply side.

3 hours ago, Thaiophil said:

Anyone cracking down on the scum who prey on kids is ok in my book.

 

But I don’t get why the RTP tolerate BJ turning himself into a media superstar and implying that without him personally getting involved, nobody else is doing anything.  Either he has deep political connections or a lot of dirt on higher ups????‍♂️

One day cock o' the walk, the next day a feather duster.

Anyone who goes after those pedophile sickos and puts them in jail has my vote. 

2 hours ago, Smithson said:

Your definition of a pedophile is correct, however the bar on so many things has been lowered these days. These days it's common for ppl to refer to all underage sex as pedophilia. Similarly all sex work is trafficking. Apparently any US military in the presence of Thai women risk being court marshaled for trafficking.

 

Besides tackling the demand side, Thailand could also do something about the supply side.

well, it's wrong and the record has to be set straight.

words have a precise meaning and should be used in accordance.

the media are largely to blame for what people commonly wrongly believe to be true.

IMO, media companies misusing words should be fined.

On 2/18/2022 at 7:24 AM, worgeordie said:

People who bought child sex include doctor, soldier and politician's son.

will we hear anymore about this, or will it just go away.

regards worgeordie

It will only go away if big joke is out ranked and if he is it just confirms how bent the system is......