Who watches the BBC, (apart from my mother) are they even still relevant?  I mean the cheek of em reporting on this but avoiding Islamic grape gangs for decades as one example is just astonishing to me. Even my Mum who’s nearly 80 called me and asked me to be careful in Thailand after watching the program , I been living here mostly for 25 years and she never once worried before . 

Re cannabis stores and zoning. This should have been addressed BEFORE legalisation and the wild west attitude "everything is possible". 

 

If I were a shop owner having invested millions of Baht and now forced to closed, I'd protesting as hell...

5 hours ago, farangkinok said:

Big black (male) chicken?

No. Pattaya BBC. Beautiful Beautiful City.😋

5 hours ago, cookie1974 said:

Im afraid i do know what im talking about because i spent a lot of time there until recently, going back over 20 years, and its never been as bad as it is now

    I'll second the comments you have been getting judging your post to be utter nonsense.   And, I'm wondering where exactly you spent your time when you were here.  Likely not in the places I and many other Pattaya residents spend our time.

10 hours ago, webfact said:

This follows the release of a BBC Three documentary titled "Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise," which highlights some negative aspects of the country.

 

I thought it was highlighting the weed and Ho's?

 

What negative aspects did they highlight?

 

6 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Because it is or do you seriously think all Pattaya has to offer is prostitutes?

I am sure if you live in Pattaya you have become adjusted to allowing your kids to see the sex scene happening directly in front. of them without blinking an eye. But most foreigners with families do not want to allow their kids to see the 100s of women standing around on beach road vying customers or walk down the streets seeing and hearing ladies of the night trying to lure foreigner men in to purchase drinks and the women. Any kid over 12 would understand enough about what they are doing. 

As for being a family friendly place. During the morning and afternoons I think it is family friendly, if.... you are taking them to a place away from the beach and away from the local sex worker scenes. Mind you that by doing this you will also be paying 10 times more the value to keep your kids from seeing things not acceptable in the west or Eu. 

So Pattaya has things for kids to do. But really only in the daytime hours. The night belongs to the whores and ladyboys and clubs. 

Red-Light Zone within a Red-Light Zone!

That's a new one!

5 hours ago, cookie1974 said:

Im afraid i do know what im talking about because i spent a lot of time there until recently, going back over 20 years, and its never been as bad as it is now

Rookie

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

THere is a continuing pressure on this aspect of town, but what was presented here is not reality, but had an agenda before they even started filming. I always felt when they got rid of soi 6, it was the end, but it is still there and lively as ever. 

As to the UK, hardly a place to shine a negative light on anywhere else, see a few YT posts from Billie Moore to see how low it has become.

 

People see reality differently..we do see Pattaya having many problems, those who can't see that are blind, or blinded by the bright lights, and sexy girls

She is just an social media attention wh....

7 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

 

As I recall, there are two main updates for Pattaya Soi 6.

 

1. The girls have gotten plumper and lazier with fewer catcalls of "hansum man" as they're glued to their phones, scrolling for their next date.

 

2. Back then there were just a few ladyboys and they were polite. Now, there are LB bars and they've become mean-spirited and aggressive. I stopped going there because of them.

You gotta be kidding. Polite ladyboys on Soi 6. Are we talking about Pattaya Soi 6. They have been huge, aggressive, and ugly for as long as Ihave been visiting Pattaya, over 25 years. 

Occasionally, you have a small and polite one (still ugly) working in a non LB bar, tiny minority. 

It's all relative, of course, if you compare them to the ones that used to operate out of Linda Bar, next to the defunct Marine, you might be right : Linda bar Katoeys were absolutely huge, didn't know Thais could get that big, they  would block your way, grab your crotch,yes and no both meant yes, probably because they weren't getting many yes, please, grab my crotch, so there business protocol required a tiny syntactical reinterpretation. 

", it now offers a range of family-friendly attractions like botanical gardens, water parks, and golf courses." 

Now, are they for real, it has offered all this for decades. 

The TAT is full of you know what 

 

4 hours ago, grumpyoldman said:

The idea of cannabis zones has merit.

and non smokers should not be allowed in.  Its bad enough that they infest and spoil every cannabis thread with their "reefer madness" non sense,  and moralising. Imagine what it would be like if they started that rubbish in a "smoking room"  Nobody needs that, it would be enough to cause a whitey

1 hour ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

Who watches the BBC, (apart from my mother) are they even still relevant?  I mean the cheek of em reporting on this but avoiding Islamic grape gangs for decades as one example is just astonishing to me. Even my Mum who’s nearly 80 called me and asked me to be careful in Thailand after watching the program , I been living here mostly for 25 years and she never once worried before . 

Its a bit different for those in their 80's but the majority of the UK do not take the BBC seriously anymore,many don't watch it at all Scandal after scandal along with its overtly biased views have destroyed any credibility it ever had. In fact the only people who will be interested in this "documentary" are the TAT

 BBC1 and 2 are bad enough but BBC3 and \i think there's a BBC4 are low quality budget tv channels showing mainly rubbish like this , that's when they are not showing repeats  

6 hours ago, sandrew33 said:

2 seperate issues. 
 

Some sort of designated areas is likely inevitable and isn’t a terrible idea. 
 

The BBC documentary was an agenda driven piece of exaggeration and nonsense presented by a complete clown who doesn’t know her arse from her elbow. 

Excellent comment!  👌

Brainless bimbo, feigning shock horror at every turn.

Seems to be totally ignorant of the facts of life in the real world and whose prior "claim  to fame" is that she starred on "Love Island"  - hardly an endorsement for a serious documentary presenter!

7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I am afraid you have no idea what you are talking of.

Don't deny congested traffic, but hey, people come here from Bangkok in their thousands at weekend to get away from a worse scenario,

 

if that's the case BKK must be a hell hole!😁

Remember the days when the whole RTP with about 20 coppers and top brass would check to ensure no prostitution in Walking St Pattaya by going door to door at bars. The last patrol they did, I think was about 12 months ago, the top brass came back to report, " No pros, no drugs and all family friendly here". 

 

Now in this article we have:

• Pattaya urges a red-light district and sex work decriminalisation.
• Concerns rise after a critical BBC documentary on Thailand. ( which was about legal drugs). Which as far as I am concerned marijuana smoko is fine).
• Tourist activities are expanding to include family-friendly options. What a general bullsh..t comment.They are expanding  only in distance maybe far away from  Soi 6 and walking st . Please  would any mother tourist take there kids in that area?

What a joke. The RTP must be feeling embarrassed that the world knows more than what they do without having to use a satellite overhead? LOL

 "Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) remains hopeful ................."

 

 

Copy and paste, please!

Firstly, there is no prostitution in Pattaya (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) 😂 🤫 secondly, cannabis is now illegal in Thailand with a prescription (at least until Anutin swoops to reverse course yet again).

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Many many alternatives to being in the red light and bar areas is probably why. Super large shopping centres, aquariums, water parks, botanical gardens, etc. 

It's Aquaria in plural. How many of them are there, and botanical gardens?

What do you suggest they do on the second day of their stay in Pattaya?

13 hours ago, webfact said:

File photo for reference only

 

Pattaya Calls for Red-Light District Zoning and Cannabis Regulations Following BBC Documentary

 

Pattaya tourism operators are calling on the Thai government to address ongoing issues like fraud, decriminalising sex work, and cannabis regulation. This follows the release of a BBC Three documentary titled "Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise," which highlights some negative aspects of the country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) remains hopeful that the documentary won't significantly impact the UK's tourist numbers, which are around one million visitors annually.

 

The documentary features Pattaya's nightlife and interviews with sex workers. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Association of the Chonburi Tourism Federation, acknowledges some issues presented but also promotes alternative tourism options. He stresses the need for regulation in Pattaya and suggests legalising and organising sex work in a zoned red light district.

 

With the Bhumjaithai Party assuming governmental duties, Mr Thanet urges regulation of cannabis sales for medical purposes and addressing tourist safety regarding crime and fraud. He points out that while Pattaya is still known for its nightlife, it now offers a range of family-friendly attractions like botanical gardens, water parks, and golf courses.

 

Despite backlash against the documentary for perceived bias, Chiravadee Khunsub of TAT believes it won’t deter British tourists. She mentions that many British visitors are repeats, aware of Thailand’s broad appeal.

 

The TAT continues to promote the country, even involving Thai-British Formula 1 driver Alex Albon in recent campaigns. Thailand welcomed over 708,000 British tourists in the first eight months of the year.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• Pattaya urges a red-light district and sex work decriminalisation.
• Concerns rise after a critical BBC documentary on Thailand.
• Tourist activities are expanding to include family-friendly options.

Related Stories:

 

British TV Star Zara McDermott’s Filming Fright in Thailand 

Pattaya Cracks Down on Nightlife to Ensure Safety

 

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-09-16

 

 

I don't think Thailand and TAT need worry about this programme. It's been presented by some relatively unknown tart from reality television programmes such as Love Island and was shown on BBC 3. No one watches this channel and the fuss will blow over within a few days.

I downloaded it and thank gawd I could fast forward through it. Very unprofessional and if I were the BBC, I wouldn't want my name associated with it.

8 hours ago, Joe Boy Walton said:

Hang on. Hang the futtock on. I thought there was no such thing as sex work in Thailand? Or is that prostitution? I'm confused.

Yes, you're confused.  No authority/official ever said that "there is no prostitution in Thailand".  Neither has it been officially reported that "there is no sex work in Thailand".

6 hours ago, ronster said:

Because I'm sure they wouldn't have stated on the applications that they were going to film in bars etc and interview sex workers 🤔

I'm sure that they are not obligated to be so specific.

13 hours ago, webfact said:

File photo for reference only

 

Pattaya Calls for Red-Light District Zoning and Cannabis Regulations Following BBC Documentary

 

Pattaya tourism operators are calling on the Thai government to address ongoing issues like fraud, decriminalising sex work, and cannabis regulation. This follows the release of a BBC Three documentary titled "Thailand: The Dark Side of Paradise," which highlights some negative aspects of the country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) remains hopeful that the documentary won't significantly impact the UK's tourist numbers, which are around one million visitors annually.

 

The documentary features Pattaya's nightlife and interviews with sex workers. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Association of the Chonburi Tourism Federation, acknowledges some issues presented but also promotes alternative tourism options. He stresses the need for regulation in Pattaya and suggests legalising and organising sex work in a zoned red light district.

 

With the Bhumjaithai Party assuming governmental duties, Mr Thanet urges regulation of cannabis sales for medical purposes and addressing tourist safety regarding crime and fraud. He points out that while Pattaya is still known for its nightlife, it now offers a range of family-friendly attractions like botanical gardens, water parks, and golf courses.

 

Despite backlash against the documentary for perceived bias, Chiravadee Khunsub of TAT believes it won’t deter British tourists. She mentions that many British visitors are repeats, aware of Thailand’s broad appeal.

 

The TAT continues to promote the country, even involving Thai-British Formula 1 driver Alex Albon in recent campaigns. Thailand welcomed over 708,000 British tourists in the first eight months of the year.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• Pattaya urges a red-light district and sex work decriminalisation.
• Concerns rise after a critical BBC documentary on Thailand.
• Tourist activities are expanding to include family-friendly options.

Related Stories:

 

British TV Star Zara McDermott’s Filming Fright in Thailand 

Pattaya Cracks Down on Nightlife to Ensure Safety

 

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-09-16

 

 

Watched it. Some truth in it but why ohhh why did she have to keep interviewing the biggest a** holes she could find FFS 

Why bother what the Pedophile protector's at the BBC think, let alone on BBC 3, a company who protected the likes of Saville, Hue Edward's etc., being the latest nonce. They should 

stick to Antique road shows, game shows and cooking program's 

 

 

2 hours ago, VBF said:

she starred on "Love Island"  - hardly an endorsement for a serious documentary presenter!

sadly its all they need to get their foot in the door, there's dozens of talentless wannabees from reality TV with their own pathetic shows, they probably don't need to be paid

Perhaps Thailand could use this to their advantage.

 

They could use an “agree and amplify” method and work it into their next tourism campaign.

 

British vs Thai Holiday 

 

 

Haven't and probably won't watch the doco, but if they were highlighting the ganga and not the meth pill crisis.... Well they are idiots as well

I went to Pattaya to stay with my friend for 3 nights after not having been for 15 years. Absolute <deleted>hole. I am happily retired in Ratchaburi province there are so many better places to visit. Pattaya is still no 1 for sex tourist.