http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22884783

Not commenting on the rest of the article but really question:

Pattaya. A sleazy tourist town on the Gulf of Thailand, it has become infamous as a sordid magnet for trafficked children and paedophiles.

"In the old days in Pattaya sex workers would be women but now they are girls and boys”

Sudjai Nakpain

Social worker

The phrase "It has become infamous as a sordid magnet for trafficked children and paedophiles" could just as well be applied to the BBC. The BBC seems to have developed something of an interest in Pattaya in recent years. Probably some of their employees want an excuse to spend time here.

The newspaper article severely criticises the authorities, the police in particular. But how much blame to the parents accept? Not too much, if any at all.

It's bad enough that under age Thai kids are exploited by Thais, but it's worse that adults from western countries travel to Thailand specifically to target these children for their own weird, sexual gratification.

What are the business owners doing, the hotel workers, adult sex workers, Thai and farang tourists who visit Pattaya, when they see these under age kids being exploited?

Society as a whole should take more of an active duty in bringing the perpetrators to justice, rather than closing a blind eye whenever it crosses their path.

You can't put all the blame on Pattaya. It has always been a red light district, but despite that, law and order should prevail wherever children are exposed to moral danger.

Living in Pattaya, that's not the Pattaya I see every day. Not saying there isn't underground stuff but the stuff on the surface is "normal" adult aged sex tourism, gay and straight, mostly straight, and of course Russian men carrying plastic beach baskets with their families even more so. This kind of unfair trashing of an emerging great city is totally despicable!

A narrow minded and very ill informed view from someone who obviously has a limited world view. Ask a Russian, Indian, Korean or Chinese person about Pattaya and they would give you a very different version of how they view Pattaya. Those four nations make up almost half of the worlds population and, probably 80% of Pattaya's tourists.

No-one would deny that underage sex workers are here and I am sure that very young girls and boys are available if you know where to look but to say that the sex workers in the majority are underage clearly shows that this social worker has not wandered around the bar areas. I don't use the girlie bars but whenever I walk past, what I see is the average age of the girls is getting older not younger.

The sex trade has always been with us and young people have always been exploited in it. This is nothing new. But it is lazy journalism that troops tired old cliches out and suggests something new or, in this case can pin the blame on foreigners, neatly sidestepping the fact that all of these sex workers are Thai, were recruited by Thai's and are managed by Thais. Of course one can argue that the Thai's are only meeting a demand that has been fuelled by foreigners, but foreigners want sex everywhere but only a few places in the world have leapt so voraciously to meet that demand.

It might be better if this social worker looked at the ages of the girls in some of the coloured lights establishments in the country that cater only to Thais. Or if she really wants to do some good investigative journalism then look at the reasons young Thai girls and boys end up in the sex trade.

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by Sigurris

Seems some posters don't like to hear a spade being called a spade.........

On a recent day trip to pattaya with the missus, I was disappointed with the filthy beach more than the amount of sexpats.

The phrase "It has become infamous as a sordid magnet for trafficked children and paedophiles" could just as well be applied to the BBC. The BBC seems to have developed something of an interest in Pattaya in recent years. Probably some of their employees want an excuse to spend time here.

I think they're trying to find a distraction from their own problems involving children. It will interesting to see how many new versions of BBC will appear instead of British Broadcasting Corporation. I'll throw "B*ggering Britain's Children" out as a starter.

Anyway, everybody loves to bash Pattaya, and of course BBC is going to sensationalize the "news". I'm not going to defend Pattaya, as it has lots of problems and a city hall administration with its collective head up its arse.But I just don't see what they're talking about. As a matter of fact, I would bet Pattaya has the oldest and nastiest looking bar girls in Thailand. Ages ago, I remember hearing that girls start into the business in Bangkok then move on to Phuket once they get a few too many miles on them. But once they're pretty much washed up and looking nasty, they go to Pattaya. From what I've seen, I believe it's true.

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by Wavefloater

There are very serious issues in Western countries regards the sexual explotation of children The BBC has reported that in the UK 14,600 children are reported missing every year. 1% (146) disappear forever; what's happened to them?

The USA is the largest producer in the world of child pornography, with Russia second. Be good for the media to step up to the mark and concentrate on the places where these events are happening.

We expats all know what Pattaya has on offering; good, the bad, and the ugly.

But, warts and all, we still choose to live here. And why ? Because it has so much more to offer than our native countries.

BBC - Jimmy Saville - nuff said !

Seems some posters don't like to hear a spade being called a spade.........

Sure, call a spade a spade. But don't call a "spade" a "hoe" (and certainly not an underaged hoe)......

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by Thailaw

We expats all know what Pattaya has on offering; good, the bad, and the ugly.

But, warts and all, we still choose to live here. And why ? Because it has so much more to offer than our native countries.

You may like it there. I like it there just fine, warts and all.

But to claim it has more to offer than (just about any country in) Europe or the USA completely ruined the credibility of your comment.

I can find a tiny patch of Galveston, Texas that has just about everything I can find in Pattaya, much less the whole USA. And Galveston is no great shakes in the hierarchy of US beach towns.

And what Pattaya does have that my country doesn't have- is exactly what the article is about...

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by impulse

As much as I love living in Pattaya I have to agree with the article 100%. It is all that.

Like jingthing says, I also don't see all of the sub-surface crap that goes on here because I simply am not into the seedy parts of Pattaya. The only time I go into the city is if I have something to do there like buy something, go to certain businesses etc. I am happy to enjoy my wobbly pops at home away from all the reprobates.

Yes it's there. All you need to do is read the news etc. however Pattaya also has a LOT of great things to offer.

A brothel serving drinks isn't a bar, it's a brothel.

A sleazy sex tourist resort with a few straight tourists, some golf courses and a water-park isn't a family resort, it's still a sleazy sex tourist resort.

Granted the amenities there are many and varied now and do afford quite a comfortable life of easy access to western products etc for resident farang ex-pats, but Pattaya's apologists and those who try to pass it off as an improving area with diversity and lots to offer all types are on the weakest ground in Thailand, the sex industry is still the engine that drives Pattaya, without it the place would wither and die.

@impulse - I think you just validated his comment..

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by jimmybkk

...

Granted the amenities there are many and varied now and do afford quite a comfortable life of easy access to western products etc for resident farang ex-pats, but Pattaya's apologists and those who try to pass it off as an improving area with diversity and lots to offer all types are on the weakest ground in Thailand, the sex industry is still the engine that drives Pattaya, without it the place would wither and die.

I might have agreed with you five years ago. Not now.

. This kind of unfair trashing of an emerging great city is totally despicable!

An emerging 'Great City' is there another Pattaya then? the only one I have been to is a badly developed, dirty open air brothel full of sex tourists and mostly ugly prostitutes, to be fair.

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by sms747

. This kind of unfair trashing of an emerging great city is totally despicable!

An emerging 'Great City' is there another Pattaya then? the only one I have been to is a badly developed, dirty open air brothel full of sex tourists and mostly ugly prostitutes, to be fair.

Many great cities started as brothels. I think most of the trashers haven't been here for a long stay in a long time (or ever), haven't been here at all, and certainly don't live here. I didn't say it's a great city NOW. I can see it's heading that way. Yes it may take 50 years. Sure.

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by Jingthing

don't THE 'holier than THOU brigade' ever Go to BED?

I have been around Pattaya for about 23/24 years ,firstly as a player and then as a married man with a family ,in all that time i have never ever seen or been offered a child sex worker , when i first came here the bar girls were younger ,16 up ,now they seem more in the region of 20 plus up, in the past 10 years everything has changed ,no matter what the "Pattaya would die without the bars" crowd say ,those days are over ,yes there are hundreds of bars ,most half empty and i doubt if many actually make a profit,its now a tourist town ,something you never saw 20 years ago , if all the bars closed ,things would carry on ,just the single male tourists would dry up .

as for the article ,its just crap ,written by a lazy writer who just rehashes rubbish .This doesnt mean that child sex does not go on here ,i am sure it does ,as it does in london ,Birmingham ,New York and especially at the BBC.

One other thing ,i have met this woman at a friends bar ,i am sure she believes what she says ,but she is full of sh-t.

Edited June 18, 201313 yr by i claudius

...

Granted the amenities there are many and varied now and do afford quite a comfortable life of easy access to western products etc for resident farang ex-pats, but Pattaya's apologists and those who try to pass it off as an improving area with diversity and lots to offer all types are on the weakest ground in Thailand, the sex industry is still the engine that drives Pattaya, without it the place would wither and die.

I might have agreed with you five years ago. Not now.

I agree. A "critical mass" has been reached and the city will continue developing and growing even without a large P4P scene. Just look at the scores of Russians and the million (it seem like) Thais coming here every weekend.

On a recent day trip to pattaya with the missus, I was disappointed with the filthy beach more than the amount of sexpats.

your observations are sadly true. Pattaya is often described as a seedy beach resort. Take away the beach, and all that's left is seedy.

Give the beach some tlc, and it really can be a wonderful resort for all, not just the seedy types.

I have been around Pattaya for about 23/24 years ,firstly as a player and then as a married man with a family ,in all that time i have never ever seen or been offered a child sex worker , when i first came here the bar girls were younger ,16 up ,now they seem more in the region of 20 plus up, in the past 10 years everything has changed ,no matter what the "Pattaya would die without the bars" crowd say ,those days are over ,yes there are hundreds of bars ,most half empty and i doubt if many actually make a profit,its now a tourist town ,something you never saw 20 years ago , if all the bars closed ,things would carry on ,just the single male tourists would dry up .

as for the article ,its just crap ,written by a lazy writer who just rehashes rubbish .This doesnt mean that child sex does not go on here ,i am sure it does ,as it does in london ,Birmingham ,New York and especially at the BBC.

One other thing ,i have met this woman at a friends bar ,i am sure she believes what she says ,but she is full of sh-t.

Not singling out the US, but quite a few appear to be in denial of what is occuring with child sexual explotation in Western countries. As mentioned above US is the worlds's largest provider of child pornography, as well as a considerable level of child prostitution. This needs to be taken account when referencing Western countires in the context of Pattaya/Thailand. Also from the URL below.

"We've had a hard time solidifying statistics at first, because research in the United States is not as collected as international statistics so we have found that 100,000 to 300,000 American children are sex slaves in the United States"

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/November/FBI-Child-Prostitution-in-us-expanding/

There are very serious issues in Western countries regards the sexual explotation of children The BBC has reported that in the UK 14,600 children are reported missing every year. 1% (146) disappear forever; what's happened to them?

The USA is the largest producer in the world of child pornography, with Russia second. Be good for the media to step up to the mark and concentrate on the places where these events are happening.

The USA is not the largest producer. The laws are very strict. Read this:

http://www.pedalprayers.org/Cause/page15.html

The problem is that the production centers have moved from North America to Asia, Eastern Europe, and India. There have also been small production centers in Central and South America.

......

The new epicenter in the world for the production of child pornography is Eastern Europe. Two of the major reasons behind this are the collapse of these countries' economics and law enforcement agencies. There are many parts in Eastern Europe, there is a feeling that "anything is allowed" as long as you split some of your profits with the local mafia. This "anything is allowed" feeling also goes for the massive production of erotica and pornography involving children.

And this should help show what countries are doing about this. Many aren't doing enough:

http://chartsbin.com/view/q4y

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/massive-dutch-run-child-pornography-ring-revealed

There are very serious issues in Western countries regards the sexual explotation of children The BBC has reported that in the UK 14,600 children are reported missing every year. 1% (146) disappear forever; what's happened to them?

The USA is the largest producer in the world of child pornography, with Russia second. Be good for the media to step up to the mark and concentrate on the places where these events are happening.

The USA is not the largest producer. The laws are very strict. Read this:

http://www.pedalprayers.org/Cause/page15.html

The problem is that the production centers have moved from North America to Asia, Eastern Europe, and India. There have also been small production centers in Central and South America.

......

The new epicenter in the world for the production of child pornography is Eastern Europe. Two of the major reasons behind this are the collapse of these countries' economics and law enforcement agencies. There are many parts in Eastern Europe, there is a feeling that "anything is allowed" as long as you split some of your profits with the local mafia. This "anything is allowed" feeling also goes for the massive production of erotica and pornography involving children.

And this should help show what countries are doing about this. Many aren't doing enough:

http://chartsbin.com/view/q4y

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/massive-dutch-run-child-pornography-ring-revealed

laws are strict but look at what the US Dept of Justice has to say.

"The United States Department of Justice estimates that pornographers have recorded the abuse of more than one million children in the United States alone"

Maybe the volume of child pornograpy has dropped in the US since 2010 when there were media reports talking to the US as the number one source country, with Russia second e.g. a UPI report:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/03/22/Russia-close-second-to-US-in-child-porn/UPI-85401269299341/

I have lived in Pattaya for 8 years (work near by) and I do not run into this kind of "low life". Why? Because I am not looking for it..it is not in my face so those reporters must really be sniffing around for underage sex workers in the city. I agree with one of the comments, --the trashy beaches and polluted bay is more upsetting. True, this kind of reporting about Pattaya is becoming old news. Why not report about the positive changes. I've seen some since I have been here. Russian, Chinese, and Indian families coming to Pattaya for vacations verses only the sexpat and "sex-newsreporters."

I'm not quite sure why these journalists keep smearing this place with these blantant lies. But I speculate that deep down they are anti-sex and this is their way of "getting" us.

A brothel serving drinks isn't a bar, it's a brothel.

A sleazy sex tourist resort with a few straight tourists, some golf courses and a water-park isn't a family resort, it's still a sleazy sex tourist resort.

Granted the amenities there are many and varied now and do afford quite a comfortable life of easy access to western products etc for resident farang ex-pats, but Pattaya's apologists and those who try to pass it off as an improving area with diversity and lots to offer all types are on the weakest ground in Thailand, the sex industry is still the engine that drives Pattaya, without it the place would wither and die.

A brothel serving drinks isn't a bar, it's a brothel.

A sleazy sex tourist resort with a few straight tourists, some golf courses and a water-park isn't a family resort, it's still a sleazy sex tourist resort.

Granted the amenities there are many and varied now and do afford quite a comfortable life of easy access to western products etc for resident farang ex-pats, but Pattaya's apologists and those who try to pass it off as an improving area with diversity and lots to offer all types are on the weakest ground in Thailand, the sex industry is still the engine that drives Pattaya, without it the place would wither and die.

Oh dear. This is as lazy as the original journalist. This is such an outdated viewpoint from someone who does not come to Pattaya very often I would guess. Read the stats. Single white men coming to Pattaya are now a minority beaten by Russians, Indians, Chinese, Korean and Thai visitors.

The bars of Soi 2 and 3 have been bulldozed to make way for hotels and this trend will increase. The sex trade will always be there but you will find in increasingly pushed away from the sea and centre of town (Think Soi Buakow and LK Metro). In Jomtien a purpose built bar area has been built which is away from the beach. It is now a destination that can be avoided if required. Walking around Pattaya and Jomtien you will see that the majority of bars are empty. The beast is not dead but she is not well.

The sex industry is a seperate engine to the tourist trade. What is driving Pattaya is tourist bucks and they are flowing faster than ever. Look at the incredible amount of investment in two huge waterparks and the Mimosa shopping village. Condo's selling at 145,000 baht psqm are not selling to sexpats. The Hilton and Centara Grande did not invest billions to attract the lads out on the pull.

Posters who so viciously decry Pattaya as no more than an oversize brothel really need to look outside the 3 square kilometres. What use is 2 polo clubs, country clubs, yacht clubs, golf courses and vineyards to a town that is only there to service sexpats? Have they noticed that Pattaya is strategically located equidistant to the port of Lam Chabang and the largest industrial area in Thailand, the Eastern Seaboard. Do all the engineers and executives who come here with their families really just come to sleep with Isan girls?

Ok we get it, you hate Pattaya. I hate custard but I can see why others love it and I know there is more to custard than just the skin.

Even more importantly, trendy young Bangkokians now love Pattaya. That's a sea change. Literally.