Scenes from Bangla Road after 8 pm on Wednesday night last week after a police task force including Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) officials swooped on the Velvet Bar in an extended operation in which over a dozen underage prostitutes were located and two women arrested for running a brothel and procuring minors for paid sex. The business and an extended sex network was directed and owned by a Swiss man according to information given by Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn on Saturday who ordered that the foreign fugitive be tracked down and brought back to Thailand to face charges.

 

by Carla Boonkong & Pranee O' Connor

The Royal Thai Police has, quite rightly, in recent years, prioritised the fight against underage prostitution linked with the human trafficking industry. On Saturday, Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn or ‘Big Joke’ described it as a particularly egregious form of human trafficking.

 

However, there remains the blooming business of human traffickers importing young women into Thailand from poorer countries who are indentured, often for years, into a massive prostitution and wider sex industry with links across the kingdom’s borders.

A Swiss man was being tracked and his known associates in Phuket placed under surveillance this weekend after Thai police smashed an underage prostitution network with tentacles and customers throughout the island. On Saturday, top cop ‘Big Joke’ or General Surachate Hakparn, the deputy police chief with a coordinating role in fighting human trafficking, promised that the investigation would be widened to include identifying those purchasing sex services involving under-age sex workers as he promised to support the victims of such activities who are mostly Thai children from deprived families.

 

A Swiss national is reportedly on the run through neighbouring countries to Thailand after police smashed his sex trafficking ring specialising in prostituting young girls on the holiday island of Phuket.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/03/18/swiss-man-ran-phuket-underage-prostitutes-human-trafficking/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2023-03-20

 

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Been reading about prostitution, under-age girls, drugs and bars supplying all the above for 30+ years now and nothing has changed, policemen like Big Joke came and gone with plenty of promises

but here we are, back to square one, and as long as there's demands, there will be supply, one way or another.

 

I once arrived late in Surat Thani City and not knowing in my early Thailand days, what an in/out accommodation was all about, I booked a room at one. The room was great, clean, everything worked, hmm, there was a packaged condom on the bed. I was intrigued by the view across the way. Couldn't figure out why each room had curtains in front of the guest car-park area, LOL, like I said, I was naive. I went to the attached karaoke bar for a beer, saw the hostess make eye contact with a pretty young gal who slinked over and sat tightly beside me. She had to be all of 17. My naivety soon passed, I got the picture. I drank my beer, and just to be safe, left some money on the table and indicated it was for her. Then I quietly made my escape, alone!

And this man on the run and several countries watching for him, cannot be named? Or even better a picture of him that isn't being blurred out? 

2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I hope your not implicated in giving her money, but that's for the cops to decide i guess.

I've never heard of a gratuitous tip being misconstrued as illegal. I left a tip for her time and company, NOT my room number.

Underage prostitution is not equal to having sex with children. In my UK sex is legal at 16, though I am not suggesting girls go on the game at 16.

 

Anything under that I hope anybody gets  a long stretch.

another swiss man up to no good ???? to add to the jailed swiss man selling drugs from his restaurant in phuket not far from Patong, and the swiss man in kamala that got caught selling drugs in his bar but paid a nice big bribe to get off with it, and kept his bar open.. disgraceful ????

3 hours ago, webfact said:

A Swiss man was being tracked and his known associates in Phuket placed under surveillance this weekend after Thai police smashed an underage prostitution network with tentacles and customers throughout the island. On Saturday, top cop ‘Big Joke’ or General Surachate Hakparn, the deputy police chief with a coordinating role in fighting human trafficking, promised that the investigation would be widened to include identifying those purchasing sex services involving under-age sex workers as he promised to support the victims of such activities who are mostly Thai children from deprived families.

So the local police are not up to doing their job on their patch...

Obviously allowing this to continue?

3 hours ago, webfact said:

who are mostly Thai children from deprived families.

This is the root cause and where they should be concentrating their efforts. Severe jail terms for parents who sell or profit from the prostitution of their children would go a long way to preventing the children ever getting into that life. No young teenagers or younger wake up one morning and say “hey mum when are you going to rent me out for sex”. I would be prostituting my own <deleted> and that of my wife’s if that is what it took to put food on the table….not my kids! If you think I am wrong then please never consider having children. I suspect though some do simply to do this to their children as their retirement plan.

"children from deprived families"

Raise the standard of living for families so that their children can survive.  Since May 2014 to present Thailand's inequality of income has increased due to greater wealth among the "1 percenters" along with a slowing economy, Covid shutdown, etc,

Such vulnerable Thai families have thus become pressured to survive. Eliminate these families' economic stranglehold and you eliminate trafficking opportunities. 

Arresting traffickers is required but that's treating the effect and not the root cause. Congratulations to "Joke" success but what has really changed in the last 8-9 years with regard to income inequality?

What will be changed going forward, from the next election?

Buying submarines and advanced fighter aircraft, funding military conscription, building unaffordable infrastructure, etc. can only divert needed family assistance. Progressive government policies are needed to truly advance the WHOLE of Thai society, not the occasional government "gifts." 

So, how's the swimming at Patong Beach? ????

A troll post has been removed.

38 minutes ago, Dukeleto said:

This is the root cause and where they should be concentrating their efforts. Severe jail terms for parents who sell or profit from the prostitution of their children would go a long way to preventing the children ever getting into that life. No young teenagers or younger wake up one morning and say “hey mum when are you going to rent me out for sex”. I would be prostituting my own <deleted> and that of my wife’s if that is what it took to put food on the table….not my kids! If you think I am wrong then please never consider having children. I suspect though some do simply to do this to their children as their retirement plan.

Would point out some teens behave like this with no input from their parents.

I know as I made the mistake of taking in such a 13yo girl last year.

Complete nightmare, she's gone now.

"A Swiss man was being tracked and his known associates in Phuket placed under surveillance this weekend... ".

 

It's only fair to alert them that they are under surveillance.

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I know as I made the mistake of taking in such a 13yo girl last year.

oh dear ...

Let's hope they find this scumbag and demolish his operation . And of course punish him to the fullest extent of the law . 

Still, it's obvious to most people that the majority of foreigners residing in Thailand are law-abiding citizens who go quietly through life .

Lowlifes like this bloke are the exception, fortunately. 

1 hour ago, Dukeleto said:

I suspect though some do simply to do this to their children as their retirement plan.

I guess.. you are certainly entitled in your suspicion. About the risks of minors, this is just the tip of the iceberg, many “big jokes”would be needed to deal with the problem, basically because poverty, Education and morality are at rock bottom in this country, imo.

Good Swiss in bad Swiss rolled out as it appears he is the farang with not much detail in the frame ????

Seems like if money transfers were made to parents they should be charged as well. 

Find him and lock him up. There is never an excuse for underage sex. It only appeals to the twisted and perverted amongst us. An 18 year old is plenty sexy. Why rob the cradle and risk everything, and prey on kids? 

When will they tackle Soi 6 in Pattaya?

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai police smashed an underage prostitution network

smash - Urban Dictionary

Urban Dictionary

https://www.urbandictionary.com › define › term=smash

to have rough sex. very hard and mean

 

Should someone recommend the author use a better word? I mean, words ARE their living, after all.

3 hours ago, neeray said:

I once arrived late in Surat Thani City and not knowing in my early Thailand days, what an in/out accommodation was all about, I booked a room at one. The room was great, clean, everything worked, hmm, there was a packaged condom on the bed. I was intrigued by the view across the way. Couldn't figure out why each room had curtains in front of the guest car-park area, LOL, like I said, I was naive. I went to the attached karaoke bar for a beer, saw the hostess make eye contact with a pretty young gal who slinked over and sat tightly beside me. She had to be all of 17. My naivety soon passed, I got the picture. I drank my beer, and just to be safe, left some money on the table and indicated it was for her. Then I quietly made my escape, alone!

She could have been 18. You missed out man! 

Exactly ! Why isn't the Swiss man named and picture id attached ?

This looks like a job for Captain To9blerone

28 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Find him and lock him up. There is never an excuse for underage sex. It only appeals to the twisted and perverted amongst us. An 18 year old is plenty sexy. Why rob the cradle and risk everything, and prey on kids? 

Isn't an under 20yr old considered as "underage" here in Thailand? I'm not sure of the law. Checked in to a hotel in Pattaya a few weeks ago and there was a notice on the counter that no under 20yr old companions were permitted (all ID cards checked apparently).

 

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Good Swiss in bad Swiss rolled out

I see what you did there ????

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Would point out some teens behave like this with no input from their parents.

I know as I made the mistake of taking in such a 13yo girl last year.

Complete nightmare, she's gone now.

Your part of the problem

4 hours ago, neeray said:

I once arrived late in Surat Thani City and not knowing in my early Thailand days, what an in/out accommodation was all about, I booked a room at one. The room was great, clean, everything worked, hmm, there was a packaged condom on the bed. I was intrigued by the view across the way. Couldn't figure out why each room had curtains in front of the guest car-park area, LOL, like I said, I was naive. I went to the attached karaoke bar for a beer, saw the hostess make eye contact with a pretty young gal who slinked over and sat tightly beside me. She had to be all of 17. My naivety soon passed, I got the picture. I drank my beer, and just to be safe, left some money on the table and indicated it was for her. Then I quietly made my escape, alone!

A few years ago we were in BKK to buy a car and went to one of these 'Love' motels to stay near where I was buying the car, went up to have a look at the room, it had one of those Gynecology beds in the room, stirrups an all. We left. 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai police smashed an underage prostitution network with tentacles

Are we talking underage Octopi here?