The Pedophile Hunters

[kpmsprtd]

All I'm arguing against is U.S. law enforcement agencies operating outside the United States. In this particular case, they went after a sexual predator, and we are all cheering. But now that the U.S. law enforcement agencies are in place, operating outside the United States, who do they go after tomorrow? Someone who smoked a joint? Someone who didn't wear a helmet while riding their motorcycle? Who knows?

From inside the big Prison-Industrial Complex Land, I'll tell you that there are no limits. Prisons are being privatized, and they need more prisoners. I would not be surprised at all to see them exporting this model to other countries in the same way they have successfully exported Drug Prohibition and the so-called War on Drugs. I've watched them--not without protest--turn my country into a police state, with fully militarized police forces operating across the land. No, I will not support them doing the same in other countries. Indeed, I feel a responsibility to speak out against it.

[Nawtier]

. who do they go after tomorrow? Someone who smoked a joint? Someone who didn't wear a helmet while riding their motorcycle? Who knows?

So worry about that then....tomorrow can take a long time to come around and you comparison for worry is ridiculous........a kiddy fiddler or 80.... against a pot smoker.......get real and come up with a better argument

[Orac]

If the figures suggested in wikipedia under sex tourism are correct then this is just the tip of the iceberg:

"In Thailand, though the exact numbers are not known, it has been estimated that children make up 40% of prostitutes in the country.[21] In Cambodia, it has been estimated that about a third of all prostitutes are under 18"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_tourism

Personally I find these figures evry hard to believe as, although I have seen one or two girls of questionable age in bars, It is certainly nowhere near the ratio suggested here which, if the figures were even remotely right, would point towards there being a massive underground child sex industry that certainly I and probably most farang here are unaware of.

[kpmsprtd]

The Wikipedia article is an example of the headline-grabbing necessary to fund the NGOs and U.S. law enforcement agencies operating abroad. "Think of the children. It doesn't matter how much it costs." That is the sentiment the authors are after. And it's working. Witness this thread.

Do a search. You will find little to no data to support the numbers that show up in newspaper headlines. I remember reading somewhere on the Net where an NGO worker talked off-the-record about it, admitting that the numbers were entirely made up, and not at all based on actual data. Don't be surprised by it. You will always see preposterous numbers that don't match the reality you see on the ground. That is the way the game is played.

[Ijustwannateach]

Personally, I'd like to see them making sure that the children have followup care as well- food, shelter, education, caretakers. The way the money is spent is really all punitive towards the criminals, which is an indicator of the real motivation behind the effort. If they really want to take care of children, there should be a split in the funds between law enforcement and social services- as well as a mechanism for punishing adult caretakers who are involved in the crimes.

[PattayaParent]

its the impression you give...be careful of that.

Sure.....consultancy fee....in other words you have no idea...yet prefer to see no money spent and 80 molesters still free and easy on the streets.

Again, not what my posts said at all.

You really should learn how to read.

[Nawtier]

perhaps you should not support leaving pedo's on the street cos they might spend to much of your tax dollars catching them.

[kpmsprtd]

I am quite happy to support U.S. law enforcement agencies capturing actual criminals (including actual pedophiles) within the U.S. Perhaps I did not make that clear enough for some.

Edited February 3, 2011 by kpmsprtd

[Nawtier]

So you are ok for US nationals to travel overseas and do the same thing and get away with it if they can.....you would not support a US national being investigated and arrested fiddling with a 6yo girl in Thailand if the locals did not catch him, but a US ngo or investigator did ?? It would by your reckoning be best to ignore his actions and let him be on with it.

[Daewoo]

Personally I find these figures evry hard to believe as, although I have seen one or two girls of questionable age in bars, It is certainly nowhere near the ratio suggested here which, if the figures were even remotely right, would point towards there being a massive underground child sex industry that certainly I and probably most farang here are unaware of.

There is a massive child sex industry, and it isn't even underground... but you are unlikely to see it... Thai law enforcement knows that European/American/UK/Aussies wouldn't tollerate it... Our governments have put enormous pressure on the Thai Gov't to end it, so they have... in the industry frequented by Nationals from those countries... namely Go-Go Bars and Farrang Bars... A few slip through either with or without the bar owners knowledge, but mostly I am sure the girls are of age...

But go to a 'coyotte bars', soapies, brothles, Karaoke Bars for the locals and the other Asians I mentioned above, and you will see lots of underage girls... especially outside of BKK... and then you have all of the girls trafficed in from Laos, Vietnam, Myanma, and Cambodia...

I wouldn't think it would be 40%, but some of those places are huge, and have heaps of girls... remember they say 'The Industry' for the Farrang is only 10% of the total... In Cambodia it in much much worse, as the police don't even try and hide it in the Barrang...

Cheers,

Daewii

[oldsailor35]

Well done America. It is about time that this evil was stamped out.

I hope that this is just a start and is picked up and actioned by other countries.

Would it be wishful thinking that other low lives are made less comfortable here? A rogues gallery seems to be a good idea to help the good guys clean out the Augean stables..

There is a BRISBANE based org which tracks paedophiles with some good success. They are called THE GREY MAN...............google it. Any knowledge of paedophiles or their actions in Thailand, if reported to them will be checked out.

[Jingthing]

Splitting hairs maybe, but I don't think the US should go after people who are not breaking the laws of the country they are in. For example the age of consent in Spain may be 16 but technically the US would go after an American having legal in Spain consensual sex with a 17 year old there. That seems wrong to me. To make it even more bizarre, in many US states the age of consent is considerably under 18, not sure of the lowest age, probably 15. Pedophilia, btw, is sex with pre-pubescent people, so someone arrested for illicit sex with a 17 year old may be guilty of something, but it isn't pedophilia. A more accurate headline for this thread would be Underage sex hunters ...

This isn't a trivial matter for Americans, especially younger ones. You hear stories of 20 year old men being convicted of sex crimes with their 17 year old girlfriend, and being labeled a registered sex criminal for the rest of their lives (which basically completely ruins their lives). I have even heard of Americans getting on the registered sex crimes list for public urination. Going after people dangerous to children is one thing, irrational HYSTERIA that damages countless innocent lives is another.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Jingthing

[Darrel]

You hear stories of 20 year old men being convicted of sex crimes with their 17 year old girlfriend,

Worse. You hear facts about persons under the age of 18 being accused of sending nude pictures of themselves to their partners, also under 18, and possibly ending up on the sex-offenders' register as a result.

America's morals are totally corrupt and perverted. They have abdicated any right at all to dictate their nonsense elsewhere.

I wont even start on American religion which defies any sensible analysis at all.