Video: Tourist police crack down on women AND transgenders on Pattaya's Beach Road

[webfact]

video screenshot

 

Following attempts to crack down on ladyboys offering sex on Pattaya's Beach Road last week the authorities have now targeted ALL sex workers.

 

Channel 7 and other Thai media outlets reported action by the Tourist Police against both women and ladyboys or transgenders.

 

Last week everyone fled the scene because the cops were in uniform.

 

Now most of the cops were in plain clothes in the operation that began at 9pm.

 

But videos showed that the sex workers were still getting wise to the crackdown with many running away from officers across the road or onto the beach.

 

Phaisan Rattanabanterng, a reporter, joined the crackdown and reported speaking to one sex worker who said they had many mouths to feed.

 

And they could make thousands of baht in a night. 

 

The customers were nearly all foreigners. 

 

Fines were no deterrent, went the report, with 80% of those targeted having a record of prostitution.

 

All this was to "restore Pattaya's image", the rhetoric continued. 

 

Twenty nine arrests were made with court appearances and 1,000 baht fines in the offing. 

 

ASEAN NOW notes that if we had a hot dinner for all the completely ineffective crackdowns on sex workers on Beach Road over the years all the news team would be severely overweight.

 

The moves can be seen in the light of the authorities - with the connivance of the invited Thai press - appearing to do something about the visible sex industry on the streets ahead of the high tourist season. 

 

The sex workers will undoubtedly be back tonight - albeit with a watchful eye for the authorities who might spoil their night. 

 

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[brianthainess]

I can only blame these stupid youtubers showing the girls all over social media. Leave 'em alone.

[brianthainess]

Of course there is no prostitution at the bars, under police protection /ownership.

[bang saen guy]

"All this was to "restore Pattaya's image", "

Think about this one

[ikke1959]

Impossible as the news was that was no prosititution in Pattaya, written several weeks ago...

[Deli]

They brought the clowns in brown ( or disguise ) to the bitch beach

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, bang saen guy said:

"All this was to "restore Pattaya's image", "

Think about this one

I can honestly say...It's Back!

[RedRoadRunner]

Boring……. Come up with something new

????????????????????

[BusyB]

3 hours ago, bang saen guy said:

"All this was to "restore Pattaya's image", "

Think about this one

It's a kind of inverse PR.

 

By cracking down in front of the media like this they are reminding the world that Pattaya is still the world's largest ever brothel since Sodom and Gommorha and is now LGBQT+ certified as well.

 

 

[Classic Ray]

If they truly want to stop the public soliciting, all that is required is constant patrolling on foot of the area by officers and arrest of any offenders, both customers and suppliers. Assistance with alternative employment should be offered to those poor unfortunates.

 

if there are those taxing these people, they should also be prosecuted, whether they are officials or private individuals. 
 

“Crackdowns” are useless and have no credibility even in the scaled eyes of the Thai public. 

[TheFishman1]

Will be back tomorrow. Stay tuned TIT 

[kingstonkid]

4 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Of course there is no prostitution at the bars, under police protection /ownership.

I think there is a difference between the girls in the bars and the girls and ladyboys on the street.  

 

Looking at it from a western perspective the bars are more like a brothel.  The girls all work for the house/bar and any issues that a customer has will come back against the bar so the girls are on relatively best behaviour.

 

Street prostitution in any country is a risky thing as you really do not know what you are getting.  The girls have o one to answer to and if they get caught ripping off a customer oh well they pay a fine and are back on the street the next day or they move to Phuket or a different part of BKK.

[vivananahuahin]

good for the econmy, it's mean Thailand comes back again in the trend.Miscellaneous facts, not interesting.

[Archie Baker]

No.6 in the best countries to live for expats.  This was not in the poll categories but sure should have been. 

[mikeymike100]

59 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

I think there is a difference between the girls in the bars and the girls and ladyboys on the street.  

 

Looking at it from a western perspective the bars are more like a brothel.  The girls all work for the house/bar and any issues that a customer has will come back against the bar so the girls are on relatively best behaviour.

 

Street prostitution in any country is a risky thing as you really do not know what you are getting.  The girls have o one to answer to and if they get caught ripping off a customer oh well they pay a fine and are back on the street the next day or they move to Phuket or a different part of BKK.

Definitely agree with you, if you take a girl from a bar, its very unlikely you will have a problem?

However it all falls under 'prostitution', I know that the LB's on Beach Road have been a problem, stealing stuff etc, but the cops go after easy targets? The go go bars pay protection to the police and expect just that?

[Tarteso]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Now most of the cops were in plain clothes

civilian dresses with gold necklace?

[wealthychef]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

court appearances and 1,000 baht fines in the offing

So let's see, you can make 3000 baht in one night, and have a small chance of getting caught.  Yeah, not much of a deterrent, thankfully. Maybe the police should start targeting street food vendors too.  Criminalizing poverty is a favorite technique of the High and Mighty Hypocrite crowd.  

[hitext]

Well, at least the familiar old times are back. All we need now is a coup, so we know for sure the Land of Smiles has bounced back with a big, cheesy grin.

[shackleton]

Why do the police bother it will never change  its what Pattaya is about 

Known all over world 

That's why people come for the night life in the sex sin city of Thailand 

[superal]

16 minutes ago, shackleton said:

Why do the police bother it will never change  its what Pattaya is about 

Known all over world 

That's why people come for the night life in the sex sin city of Thailand 

Absolutely correct . So the police clean up Pattaya , who is going to go there for holiday fun ? nobody for sure . Pattaya is all about girls and bars but the girls are seen as an easy target for the cops . Can you imagine how much the top cop will be making a night at 1000 baht fine per girl ?  Much more than checking traffic .  

[DjSilver]

And everyone already knows that 99.99 % of everyone tjat goes to Prostitute town (Pattaya) goes there to buy or sell sex.

 

And it's not any new news.

[Burma Bill]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

now targeted ALL sex workers.

 

Including gay boys??

[sambum]

1 hour ago, BusyB said:

It's a kind of inverse PR.

 

By cracking down in front of the media like this they are reminding the world that Pattaya is still the world's largest ever brothel since Sodom and Gommorha and is now LGBQT+ certified as well.

 

 

Yup! "No such thing as bad publicity"! ( P.T.Barnum)

[nigelforbes]

2 minutes ago, superal said:

Absolutely correct . So the police clean up Pattaya , who is going to go there for holiday fun ? nobody for sure . Pattaya is all about girls and bars but the girls are seen as an easy target for the cops . Can you imagine how much the top cop will be making a night at 1000 baht fine per girl ?  Much more than checking traffic .  

Can the girls not go do their soliciting in places where they are a little less conspicuous, instead of Pattaya's main thoroughfare, a place where families, children and normal people walk to enjoy their holiday? Better still, are there not enough establishments with roofs and four walls where those working girls could go and still easily be found by tourists. I don't think the police are trying to clean up Pattaya at all, I think they are just trying to get the sleaze out from underneath everybody's gaze and force the industry to be a little more discreet. Is that too much to ask.

[tandor]

i would back a non-binary in high heels on wet sand any day.

[Homburg]

End of month action by BIB striving to reach their tea money targets?

[sambum]

3 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

Can the girls not go do their soliciting in places where they are a little less conspicuous, instead of Pattaya's main thoroughfare, a place where families, children and normal people walk to enjoy their holiday? Better still, are there not enough establishments with roofs and four walls where those working girls could go and still easily be found by tourists. I don't think the police are trying to clean up Pattaya at all, I think they are just trying to get the sleaze out from underneath everybody's gaze and force the industry to be a little more discreet. Is that too much to ask.

"........families, children and normal people"

 

Pattaya has always been a destination renowned for one thing, and it is not the temples!

 

As far as your comment is concerned, I don't think "normal people" is a very good choice of words!

 

And if I were taking my family to Thailand on holiday, I can think of a few better "family orientated"  destinations than Pattaya - no matter what the Pattaya "bureaucracy" says! 

[mran66]

2 hours ago, BusyB said:

It's a kind of inverse PR.

 

By cracking down in front of the media like this they are reminding the world that Pattaya is still the world's largest ever brothel since Sodom and Gommorha and is now LGBQT+ certified as well.

 

 

Absolutely. Probably the best way to get proper free media visibility for the real thing without saying it. 

 

The "Kremlin approach" of denying something in real world actually mean confirming something does not work as well pattayas case, even if they have tried to preach the Family Resort thingy. It just confuses people. Harassing Beach road streetwalkers and ensuring media reports about that works much better. 

[Lemsta69]

15 minutes ago, DjSilver said:

99.99 % of everyone tjat goes to Prostitute town (Pattaya) goes there to buy or sell sex.

Complete and utter nonsense. 

[superal]

5 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Can the girls not go do their soliciting in places where they are a little less conspicuous, instead of Pattaya's main thoroughfare, a place where families, children and normal people walk to enjoy their holiday? Better still, are there not enough establishments with roofs and four walls where those working girls could go and still easily be found by tourists. I don't think the police are trying to clean up Pattaya at all, I think they are just trying to get the sleaze out from underneath everybody's gaze and force the industry to be a little more discreet. Is that too much to ask.

Sorry to say that Pattaya has been such an attraction for adults for over 50 years . I think most people coming to Thailand are aware what Pattaya has to offer . I for one would not bring a young family to such a place . There are far better holiday venues to visit that have clean beaches and are free of prostitution .