Thailand news - Two Rohingya refugee boats are missing in the Andaman Sea, a Russian saved from drowning at Pattaya, three Pattaya police sidelined, and a German man 'in custody' in Germany as the fallout continues over the DW documentary about Pattaya's red light industry. Officials follow up the causes of a bus crash in Prachuap Khiri Khan, killing 16.

 

Academics concerned over the poor results of Thai 15 year old students in an international survey, and the Thai population is falling and the Thai health minister wants more families to have children, urgently.

 

Tim Newton Today is a daily take on Thai and regional news and issues of interest to expats and foreign tourists.

 

 

Fallout from the documentary by a German TV station, really?

I would assume the contrary, if the authorities and the government would be - for once - honest. Despite the decades of denial on the planet's oldest trade it remains a fact, that Pattaya is overloaded with "houses of ill repute". That, in itself, is OK for me, provided the service providers are a) of legal age and b) do it voluntarily.

By experience, it is literally almost impossible, to find non-horizontal staff in Pattaya, see all the hotels and restaurants desperately seeking staff. The sleazy trade pays off quite a bit more, despite all the Baksish left, right and centre. 

This TV programme, which I have not seen, will only propagate the trade and facilities and will, if anything at all, promote the non-spoken reputation of Pattaya and will see increased numbers of visitors without scaring away the quality tourists - latter not interested in Pattaya in the first place - me thinks!