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57 Alleged Prostitutes Rounded Up In Phuket Town


george

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Crackdown on prostitution:

57 alleged prostitutes rounded up in Phuket Town

PHUKET TOWN: -- A team of provincial civil defense officials and volunteer police on Sunday night raided three well-known entertainment venues, in the heart of Phuket Town, suspected of serving as fronts for prostitution.

A spokesperson from the Phuket Provincial Office Public Relations Bureau said the raids were ordered by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop following complaints from local residents that the three venues – two massage parlors and a nightclub – were actually fronts for prostitution.

A total of 57 alleged female prostitutes, including at least one Burmese girl under the age of 18, were rounded up by the special task force led by Phuket Deputy Governor (Palad) Chaiwat Tephee, Phuket Provincial Defense Office head Wirote Suwanwong, and volunteer police.

One of the venues raided is a long-established massage parlor that specializes in full service ‘soapy’ massages by sexily-attired women who wear numbers and sit inside a glass display case waiting to be called by potential customers.

Among the evidence seized in a search of service rooms inside the building were used condoms, according to the spokesperson.

There was no mention of any involvement by Phuket City Police. Rather, the women and some of the brothel operators were taken by pick-up to the Muang District Office, where they were questioned and informed of the various infractions they had committed.

One local cable television news show showed footage of the raids last night.

Most of those taken into custody were released after paying fines, but an unspecified number of illegal "aliens" were taken to Immigration Police for processing and possible deportation.

Despite the serious nature of the charges, there was no mention of any criminal charges filed against the venue owners.

Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop said the raids were just the first in what will be a strict and ongoing crackdown on prostitution.

According to official police statistics, there were a total of 1,588 people arrested for prostitution in 2009, up 13.3% year-on-year.

There were 225 arrests for prostitution-related charges in December 2009, just over double the figure from December 2008.

With the possible exception of the Burmese, however, it is unlikely that Sunday night's raids will be included in official crime statistics since most of the alleged prostitutes were released without being charged.

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-- Phuket Gazette 2010-01-26

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I wonder if Thailand is reaching the "Tipping Point" as in the authorities are increasingly uncomfortable with the LOS's international reputation with respect to prostitution. Of course it could also just be an isolated case of some owner(s) not tendering the usual tea money to the proper persons.

My gut tells me that the naughty night life scene may not be encouraged as in the past and only tolerated if it is more discreet.

Time will tell :)

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Despite the serious nature of the charges, there was no mention of any criminal charges filed against the venue owners.

And how about the male customers? Were any of them rounded up and fined? That's crap.

Agreed. Even more: I think that only male customers must be fined. Girls should be punished by whipping

Edited by ArtemZ
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Surely there are more than 57 women in Phuket? Why not just arrest them all and discard a few? Were there any ladyboys included in that figure I wonder? :)

Read what it said:

A total of 57 alleged female prostitutes, including at least one Burmese girl under the age of 18, were rounded up by

I lolled :D

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Despite the serious nature of the charges, there was no mention of any criminal charges filed against the venue owners.

And how about the male customers? Were any of them rounded up and fined? That's crap.

Agreed. Even more: I think that only male customers must be fined. Girls should be punished by whipping

Ok, ok, good point. I forgot that there technically could be female customers too! :)

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Let's hope the police don't ever find out about what goes on in Bangla Road...

Exactly. That's ground zero for the scene in Phuket (or so I hear). I agree with an earlier comment that some people didn't pay their bribes and were punished. Are you telling me that the police don't know what goes on at a soapy massage? hel_l, they're probably some of the best clients.

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Good for them. I wouldn't mind a nice big prostitution crackdown. I can't stand it when the first thing people say when I say I live in Thailand is something about the women or sex or prostitution or AIDS. Sex will always be easy to come by here for foreigners, but it does not need to be advertised so openly and for sale everywhere you go.

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Good for them. I wouldn't mind a nice big prostitution crackdown. I can't stand it when the first thing people say when I say I live in Thailand is something about the women or sex or prostitution or AIDS. Sex will always be easy to come by here for foreigners, but it does not need to be advertised so openly and for sale everywhere you go.

For goodness sake!

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I wonder if Thailand is reaching the "Tipping Point" as in the authorities are increasingly uncomfortable with the LOS's international reputation with respect to prostitution. Of course it could also just be an isolated case of some owner(s) not tendering the usual tea money to the proper persons.

My gut tells me that the naughty night life scene may not be encouraged as in the past and only tolerated if it is more discreet.

Time will tell :)

Personally i think its just a 'storm in a teacup' - some bar owner p*ssed off the wrong copper or didnt pay his monthly tea money...

... if they were serious about it, the could easily arrest hundreds (or dare i say thousands) of 'working girls' In Patong, or even further south in Kata, Karon or Rawai

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I wonder if Thailand is reaching the "Tipping Point" as in the authorities are increasingly uncomfortable with the LOS's international reputation with respect to prostitution. Of course it could also just be an isolated case of some owner(s) not tendering the usual tea money to the proper persons.

My gut tells me that the naughty night life scene may not be encouraged as in the past and only tolerated if it is more discreet.

Time will tell :)

Tolerate if it was more discreet? They id the raid in Phuket town, where there are a few soapie shops. There are hundreds of massage joints in Patong, and discretion is not their business.........

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