Thai Police Say 71 Freed In Human Trafficking Raid

[webfact]

Thai police say 71 freed in trafficking raid

BANGKOK, July 30, 2011 (AFP) - Thai authorities freed 71 women and girls who had been lured into selling sex in massage parlours and karaoke bars, police said Saturday, after a crackdown on human trafficking on the Malaysian border.

Thirteen of those discovered were girls under the age of 18, said Lieutenant Colonel Noppadon Petsut, deputy commander of police in Sadao district of Songkhla province, where the operation was carried out on Friday.

"The operation followed complaints by the Laotian embassy in Bangkok," he said, adding that 70 of the young women were Laotian and one was from Myanmar.

A Singaporean man, a Malaysian man and a Thai woman were charged with human trafficking and illegally procuring sex, Noppadon said.

"Charges of human trafficking are very serious and carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty," he said.

Police freed 59 women from a karaoke bar and another 12 from a spa near a Thai-Malaysian border checkpoint.

Another officer involved in the raid said it was believed that the women and girls were sold to the suspects by brokers and later forced to work as prostitutes.

The operation was conducted by the Thai Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Social Welfare and Human Security officials and local police.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-07-30

[somtampet]

They should be horse whipped and then 20 years in jail,for bringing under 18,s in

[phuketrichard]

Thailand really needs to address this human trafficking in the same manner they had the war on drugs

[Asianrider]

Thailand really needs to address this human trafficking in the same manner they had the war on drugs

target the customers too, and strip away the demand

no demand, no need to supply

[techboy]

They should be horse whipped and then 20 years in jail,for bringing under 18,s in

Agreed. But don't you think that you are letting them off a bit easy?

[morphic]

I try to let Thai girls know the dangers of trusting anyone that promises them work in or near Malaysia, or anywhere else for that matter, or any kind of loan shark who the girls may borrow from and be unable to repay, the "debt" being repaid by being forced into "work" and I mean by force. I am aware of at least one Thai girl who was abducted by a trafficking gang and taken to Sadao. She was innocent and naive and forced into sex slavery. Once in the clutches of the gangs of scum that organise the trafficking and protect it with thugs, there is little that can be done, the local police also being involved on both sides of the border. The gangs also threaten the families of these girls and in order to repay "debt" they will think nothing of threatening and even killing family members. In this particular case she was let go after some time due to severe illness and internal injury due to constant abuse. She later died in a Bangkok hospital.

It is great news that atleast some of these people have been caught and I would hope they rot in jail for the rest of their lives or until execution, that all proceeds are taken from them and their families that benefited from this disgusting activity and that their invesdtigation goes all ofn the way up the chain. If executed I would be more than happy to pull the trigger myself, they aren't human and there is no animal that behaves as they do, they are alien to everything I regard as a natural form of life.

There is no comparison between the sex slavery these gangs of scum organise and anything that goes on in Pattaya. In Pattaya people are here by choice. A pity the politically correct pricks that like to write stories about Pattaya don't have the balls to investigate the real villains.

[djlest]

This story makes me feel sick...

To think we walk along the flashing strips and go go bars... But beneath the surface the managers and peddlers im sure are no better...

[englishinsiam]

I completely agree with Morphic I managed to stop a friend of mine get traficked to France for the same reasons a year ago.

She is happy as a freelancer on Walking Street but thought she could earn more in Paris as a nanny.

There is a world of difference to those trafficked and those working the bars and clubs by choice.

The traffickers should be charged with penalties alongside murder as very often these girls and boys die.

[ricku]

target the customers too, and strip away the demand

no demand, no need to supply

Agreed.

[Bagwan]

A repeat operation in every town along the border with Myanmar please. My understand is that there is no direct police involvement. They merely own the premises and turn a blind eye at what goes on inside the walls and collect astronomic rentals.

[hehehoho]

target the customers too, and strip away the demand

no demand, no need to supply

Agreed.

What, people wishing to sleep with 17 yr olds?

Isn't the AOC in the UK and most of the Western world 16?

Sounds like you'l be fighting against the laws of nature.

[osiboy]

A repeat operation in every town along the border with Myanmar please. My understand is that there is no direct police involvement. They merely own the premises and turn a blind eye at what goes on inside the walls and collect astronomic rentals.

so the police are taking money from a brothel and turning a blind eye ???,......... oh, thats ok then , they could have looked into it !!

[ricku]

What, people wishing to sleep with 17 yr olds?

Isn't the AOC in the UK and most of the Western world 16?

Sounds like you'l be fighting against the laws of nature.

Sounds to me like someone is afraid to get a target on their head.

Don't play dumb. I ment that the authorities should focus more on targeting people who want to pay money to sleep with children.

A 17 year old is still a child, no matter what you say, and I can guarantee you that 99,999% of all teenagers have no personal interest in sleeping with old perverted creeps.

Edited July 30, 2011 by ricku

[morphic]

A repeat operation in every town along the border with Myanmar please. My understand is that there is no direct police involvement. They merely own the premises and turn a blind eye at what goes on inside the walls and collect astronomic rentals.

so the police are taking money from a brothel and turning a blind eye ???,......... oh, thats ok then , they could have looked into it !!

i strongly suspect local police in border towns such as Sadao are far more involved than just taking a bribe and turning a blind eye. how do you imagine malaysian gangsters are able to travel into thailand and take people, like cargo, away with them to the border bars that they run? i can tell you how sinsister it gets, it goes as far as local police from those towns riding shot gun.

[hehehoho]

Don't play dumb. I ment that the authorities should focus more on targeting people who want to pay money to sleep with children.

A 17 year old is still a child, no matter what you say, and I can guarantee you that 99,999% of all teenagers have no personal interest in sleeping with old perverted creeps.

Old perverted creeps?

From what studies I've read around half of Thai males lose they're virginity to girls of the night. Most of their customers are probably <25.

If you think 17 yr olds sleeping which each other is against the laws of nature you seriously need to contact most civilized, Western countries and their givernments.

[ricku]

From what studies I've read around half of Thai males lose they're virginity to girls of the night. Most of their customers are probably <25.

If you think 17 yr olds sleeping which each other is against the laws of nature you seriously need to contact most civilized, Western countries and their givernments.

Sure, there might be a few "younger" customers, but that still doesn't make it right. Selling children is still a very <expletive removed> up thing to do.

And if you think that most of the brothel customers in Thailand are under 35, you seriously need a big fat reality check.

Have you even seen the red light districts of Thailand, and what kind of people drolling around there? I find it very hard to believe.

Edited July 30, 2011 by metisdead

[softgeorge]

They should be horse whipped and then 20 years in jail,for bringing under 18,s in

You are too caring and soft. The offence does carry the death penalty you know.

[hehehoho]

From what studies I've read around half of Thai males lose they're virginity to girls of the night. Most of their customers are probably <25.

If you think 17 yr olds sleeping which each other is against the laws of nature you seriously need to contact most civilized, Western countries and their givernments.

Sure, there might be a few "younger" customers, but that still doesn't make it right. Selling children is still a very <expletive removed> up thing to do.

And if you think that most of the brothel customers in Thailand are under 35, you seriously need a big fat reality check.

Have you even seen the red light districts of Thailand, and what kind of people drolling around there? I find it very hard to believe.

btw these brothels aren't in anyway related to what you'll see in any redlight district.

I don't think you've been here very long.

Edited July 30, 2011 by metisdead

[jfchandler]

As is typical in these kinds of media report from the Thai police, no mention of exactly who the three people they arrested were or what their connection was to the two businesses....

Also no indication that the two businesses in question had/have been closed.... Give it a week or two, and I'd lay odds, you'd find both of those places back in operation more or less the same as before.... just different faces among their "staff."

Nearly 60 girls/women in one "karaoke bar" in a little nothing border city??? No way the local police wouldn't have known exactly what was going on there and who was being offered for sale.

[lungmi]

Not the prostitutes are the problem, the punters are the problem (Bertolt Brecht)

For drug consumers it is not really the same, but if you give free drugs under the control of doctors,

the beside criminality goes down. (Criminologist statement}

[snoother]

As is typical in these kinds of media report from the Thai police, no mention of exactly who the three people they arrested were or what their connection was to the two businesses....

Also no indication that the two businesses in question had/have been closed.... Give it a week or two, and I'd lay odds, you'd find both of those places back in operation more or less the same as before.... just different faces among their "staff."

Nearly 60 girls/women in one "karaoke bar" in a little nothing border city??? No way the local police wouldn't have known exactly what was going on there and who was being offered for sale.

Sadao is I most commonly known as Danok and is the Pattaya of the south. This border town is indeed tiny but there are like 50 "karoke" bars, 20 soapies, 20 gogobars and a few discos that cater to thousand of chinese malaysians who cross the border every week end. I'm not surprised local police is involved but I don't think they know exactly what is going on on every place they control, that would be a heck of a job.

[KeyserSoze01]

While I do not condone underage sex, human trafficking or indentured servitude, I do find the righteous indignation amusing by those who choose to live in the world's largest, government sponsored brothel.

[morphic]

While I do not condone underage sex, human trafficking or indentured servitude, I do find the righteous indignation amusing by those who choose to live in the world's largest, government sponsored brothel.

In that case, you don't in fact see the difference between kidnapping innocent people and forcing them into sex slavery, servicing up to 100 men a day without choice, compared to women (or men) making an economic choice (or choice otherwise motivated) to work in bars of their own free will where they typically go with a customer now and again but have the right to refuse.

If you just don't see the difference then there is little that can be done to help you. But if you do see the difference then you should understand the "righteous indignation" of the posters here and in fact you should be equally indignant, if not then there is also not much that can be done to help you feel the way a normal human being does.

[housepainter]

The actual numbers were much higher. It was the ugly fat ones they let go.

As for the rest, all saleable goods, they were removed to Police brothels, given a test run and then put to work.

Next.

[Bakseedaa]

What, people wishing to sleep with 17 yr olds?

Isn't the AOC in the UK and most of the Western world 16?

Sounds like you'l be fighting against the laws of nature.

Sounds to me like someone is afraid to get a target on their head.

Don't play dumb. I ment that the authorities should focus more on targeting people who want to pay money to sleep with children.

A 17 year old is still a child, no matter what you say, and I can guarantee you that 99,999% of all teenagers have no personal interest in sleeping with old perverted creeps.

The personal interest is in the moneys..... ricku, how many 17yr olds did you ask, and believe me, most 17yr olds think they are quite grown-up., and why do you associate "old" with perverted creeps, I was a perverted creep when I was 17 yrs old... now I,m a happy old guy with no intentions of sleeping with any horny, money grabbing young females...17yrs old or 27yrs old... liar . liar my bums on fire...

[englishinsiam]

Sure, there might be a few "younger" customers, but that still doesn't make it right. Selling children is still a very <expletive removed> up thing to do.

And if you think that most of the brothel customers in Thailand are under 35, you seriously need a big fat reality check.

Have you even seen the red light districts of Thailand, and what kind of people drolling around there? I find it very hard to believe.

I presume you are on about Hua Hin, Bangkok and Pattaya when you say about the 'red light' areas.

It is a well known fact that foreigners cater for only 10% of the Thai sex industry.

What do you think these young Thai country bumpkins think of women? Do you think they are delicate flowers to be adored?

If so you are living in a Eutopia the rest of us aren't.

It is a fact young Thai men are by far the biggest customers of the girls. I have spoken to girls who have worked in thai brothels and they think they are in Paradise now they are in Pattaya compared to what they had before.

They might get 100 baht for sex in the boonies and will have 10 or more customers a day.

[hgma]

poverty creates crime.

poverty relinquishes morals and values.

poverty explains "everything"

poverty justifies "everything"

yeh right.

But does poverty justifies broken lives?

in my dictionary there is only 1 race that is to say HUMAN RACE.

POVERTY DEPRIVES HUMAN BEINGS OF THERE DIGNITY.

[featography]

They should be horse whipped and then 20 years in jail,for bringing under 18,s in

"Charges of human trafficking are very serious and carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty," he said.

Why are you being so lenient?

[Beetlejuice]

The way I see the situation is that 71 sex workers have just been made redundant.

Most of these girls have full knowledge that they are going to be employed in the flesh trade, probably duped into believing that they would be making they’re fortunes, but lacking the experience to realise that in most cases these set ups don`t work that way.

The responsibly lies with the governments, to set up programmes so as to educate these females about the pitfalls of working in the sex industry, how human traffickers operate and the dangers involved.

Until this happens, the illicit business of human trafficking from the populations of the underclasses will continue and flourish.

[Lite Beer]

70 Lao girls rescued after raid on Sadao

By The Nation on Sunday

National Police Chief Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree yesterday ordered a probe into police in the South after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) raided a karaoke bar in Songkhla's Sadao district on Friday

Wichean said the disciplinary probe led by Provincial Police Region 9 chief Pol Gen Weerayuth Sitthimalik would see if any officer had neglected their duty to act against vice.

Wichean's comment was made after DSI, Social Welfare and Human Security officials and local police freed 71 females - including 13 girls under 18 - on Friday who had been lured into prostitution in a karaoke bar and spa in Sadao, following complaints by the Laotian embassy in Bangkok.

Some 70 of the rescued were reportedly from Laos while the remaining lady was from Burma. A Singaporean man, a Malaysian man and a Thai woman were charged with human trafficking and illegally procuring sex.

-- The Nation 2011-07-31