Fearing military, Pattaya rushes to eradicate sin

[VINCENT2012]

if bar girls and sex night life shop and clubs are going to be eradicate then there will be no more reason to go to pattaya anymore.

for sure the price of the condominium is going to be more atractive now, but i wont buy one

[lucjoker]

they threaten to <deleted> up the sexworkers ?

[nicolas18]

Quality Tourist destination - wanna bees, should follow the lead....

BUT Most Tourists come to Thailand for SEX - to varying degrees of intensity and er... "choice"

And here's the wake-up call they also come because Thailand is Not Normal.

On a quiet night in Patayya there are 20 tour coaches waiting for passengers to return from Walking Street -

the tourists are not there for the walking...

Sexpats/sex tourists really are delusional.

Outside maybe of Pattaya (and even there, things are changing), the vast majority of tourists in Thailand are couples, families and single people in their 20's who, for the most part, do not need to resort to prostitution to meet someone while on holiday.

[Basil B]

Prostitution, it is the oldest profession in the world.

If they want to reduce it (they will never eradicate it), they need to look at the root causes and eradicate poverty, and the root cause of that in Thailand is corruption.

I don't believe that poverty is necessarily the main driving force for much of the prostitution in Thailand, despite what prostitutes may tell their clients. In Pattaya there is a big problem finding and keeping workers for jobs like waiters, sale staff and cleaners etc. The turnover is very rapid and there are job vacancies advertised all over.

Prostitution is more of a cultural way of life for some - it is an easy way to make a living and can be much better paid than real jobs. It is sometimes a temporary solution to a financial crisis in a family but that is not saying it results from poverty and saying it does does not do justice to those who work very hard in low level jobs in Thailand for low pay and they still manage to support families. Likewise, eradicating high levels of poverty will not I think eliminate much of the prostitution. It's much more complicated than that.

Probably the shortage of workers for low paid jobs in Pattaya is it is not just ignorant low intelligence farang who thinks every lady in Pattaya is on the game, there must be a lot of finger pointing in villages when the they hear one of their own is working in Pattaya.

Prostitution, it is the oldest profession in the world.

If they want to reduce it (they will never eradicate it), they need to look at the root causes and eradicate poverty, and the root cause of that in Thailand is corruption.

That would work, as for as the poor prostitutes are concerned. How would they deal with the wealthier ones?

That is a problem worldwide when the easiest well paid job is just lying there...

But lets get the root problem that brings young women into the trade just to feed their families.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Basil B

[wabothai]

Chiang Kahn on the beach....

[Benmart]

He has nearly an Impossible task to perform..It is so imbedded in this city that I can't ever see it happening?

Difficult, yes. I'll wait and see, as will most everyone.

[IAMHERE]

Clean up the thieves and druggies is a good idea, they pray on tourists. Clean up honest prostitution hurts the tourist.

The beach is somewhere between a joke and an eyesore, you can only use it if you rent a chair, the beach is nothing but chair rentals from Soi 1 to Walking Street.

[ChrisY1]

Just can't see thia happening...as someone earlier poinetd out....the types of people running Pattaya......can obviously see that the army is getting serious and are trying to lessen the impact of a crackdown.

50 years of bars and girls just don't move on so quickly......

Some of the girls in Pattaya would be 2nd if not 3rd generation bar ladies......probably have their grandmothers there minding babies as they were........

How many girls now....50K-70K.............???

[nakhonandy]

Well if it is only the street walkers, coconut girls etc not a bad idea. pain in the rear to be honest.

How they would do this in the bars is another issue, plus the police would lose a fortune!

can't see that happening.

Pattaya has been like this since the Vietnam war, do they want it to return to fishing village.

Like many have said it is the dirty beaches and sea that are a bigger problem to real tourists! Clean them up.

[blundaman]

The Church of the Born Again Electric Ladyboy embraces all those who seek redemption for their confused ways, come all ye faithful for the time of revelation is near... it is NEVER too late to repent and enter the house of the wholly satisfied. Matinee services are performed religiously every morning at 10am with twice the action from the pulpit every Sunday. All are welcome, all is forgiven.

[jacko45k]

Fortunately they didn't rush on Thursday night and eradicate mine...........

There sure is a need of a clean up, I stopped opposite the Scandinavian Bar early evening looking at the beach... I have never seen so many rats in one place who seemed to be oblivious to the presence of people.

20-30 bag snatchers/ night, by next year they could be eradicated, if they weren't let out after a fine, pretty much like the street walkers. Do they really think paying a 100 baht fine, and having your name written down is a deterrent?

[JohnnyJazz]

Quality Tourist destination - wanna bees, should follow the lead....

BUT Most Tourists come to Thailand for SEX - to varying degrees of intensity and er... "choice"

And here's the wake-up call they also come because Thailand is Not Normal.

On a quiet night in Patayya there are 20 tour coaches waiting for passengers to return from Walking Street -

the tourists are not there for the walking...

Sexpats/sex tourists really are delusional.

Outside maybe of Pattaya (and even there, things are changing), the vast majority of tourists in Thailand are couples, families and single people in their 20's who, for the most part, do not need to resort to prostitution to meet someone while on holiday.

I've been here for less than one year. During that time I welcomed around 25 friends and family who came to enjoy between a few days to a couple of weeks holidays in Thailand. None of them came for the prostitution. Actually some even told me they were happy that the sex industry was not as "in your face" that it was advertised abroad as they came with children.

I don't think that putting a tight lid on the prostitution will damage the tourist industry. On the contrary I believe that for each sex tourist who comes to Thailand there is a family who is not coming because of Thailand reputation,

Edited August 31, 2014 by JohnnyJazz

[mathias24]

Is it just the street prostitutes they are targeting or what about all the girl/boy bars in town which are only there to sell sexual sevices to the tourists or don't they count. Yes I agree the street walkers be they ladyboys or not should be taken off the streets, it's not all tourists that want to be challenged by these people but rounding them up and then charging a 100/200B fine is NOT going to do it.

[loongdavid]

Isaans economy will take a big dive!

I'm very interested to know why? Surely not based on the widely held but erroneous belief that the majority of street girls come from Isaan (statistics please). Poverty may be widespread in Isaan but the morals appear to be a lot higher than the majority of Thailand.

maybe they are lying but 90% of them will say they are from Issan. not that I have interrogated all of them. where do you think they are from?

My colleagues (I'm not able to physically travel far) tell me that there are many, many girls from Chiang Mai as well as the rest of the north but I guess that very much depends on where one goes and to whom one speaks. Certainly, poverty is widespread in Isaan but the social stigma attached to a girl is to many, not worth the ticket to the big city.

[penwithcris]

This conjure up memories how Cardinal Sin and the mayor of Manila cleaned up Eremite

and the Malate districts of all the hundreds of bars there in one fell swoop. that have resulted in massive

unemployment and significant drop in tourists to manila..

The same going to happened here, massive drop in tourism and even bigger drop in real estate

and hotel occupancy rates, let see if the new PM have big enough balls to take the Pattaya's

godfathers on.....

[aripengu]

Pattaya "The Family City"

[slygeeza]

what about all the teenage boys on the beach that are trying to extort money from the ladies? theres a lot of them these days and the police ignore them despite that these guys obviously sell and use drugs. I find them much more of a threat then the ladies are and Im sure the ladies mostly dont like having to share their earnings with them

[simple1]

It would seem that visible overt street sex workers are the target and not anything behind doors.

Wha's happening with those arrested? Are they just fined the usual 100 baht and then back on the streets?

[Mot Dang]

I don't believe it. Full stop.

The infrastructure behind the bar and entertainment industry in Pattaya is enormous. Take away the bars and the bar girls, hundreds of thousands of tourists will not come to Pattaya. The speed with which this would happen will be directly proportional to the speed at which the bars are closed. Think of the number of service industry's that will go under. Just to name a few, the restaurants, the ice suppliers, the fresh food suppliers, shops, the booze and soft drink suppliers. Hundreds upon hundreds of people indirectly employed by the entertainment industry. Hotels will be emptier than they are now.

Who will benefit ? The scuba dive industry, kite surfing, para gliding, speed boat, and jet ski industry. Who are they ? Those industries that have been in the news quiet recently. Right ? And who will replace the fleeing Pattaya tourist. If you think the Chinese invasion has already started, you haven't seen nothing yet baby. It has already been reported about current negotiations to increase Chinese tourism 3 fold next year alone. Worried about losing "Thainess" (sorry about bringing that up), this invasion will be a death knock.

This is another ill conceived plan. Pattaya can be cleaned up without eradicating the bar and entertainment industry. The police just have to have a well directed imagination,

[slygeeza]

It would seem that visible overt street sex workers are the target and not anything behind doors.

Wha's happening with those arrested? Are they just fined the usual 100 baht and then back on the streets?

of course, they arent breaking any laws, and they are Thais and are allowed to go to the beach and walk the streets the same as tourists are

Edited August 31, 2014 by slygeeza

[The Deerhunter]

While some will rejoice the attempts to 'eradicate prostitution' somewhere someone will have to think about the fact that it does bring in a tremendous amount of money. If the officials actually got their wish the population that supports Pattaya would be much poorer overall which could easily lead to unrest. I realize that some do not like the sordid reputation of the town but those same people also benefit from it. The police are paid via taxes and would not have any revenue for themselves if everyone packed up and went home to Isaan (yes assumption made that many of the girls come from Isaan).

Is it possible to have Pattaya doing something else to bring in revenue? Sure but that isn't being discussed. Right now they are just targeting 'prostitution'. I assume this is just a face saving measure and they aren't fully serious because if they do get very dedicated to the task all they'll do is destroy the economy and turn the place into a ghost town.

The trouble is when it against the super-moralists' codes AND doesn't bring in taxes associated with its huge income, then it becomes an easy target

[khunjamesjohnson]

The Army is cleaning up the town or are they removing financial resources from their political enemies, the police?

Doing the right thing for the wrong reason. TIT

[penwithcris]

Ermita, Manila used to be a centre for clubs and prostitution in the city in the late 1900"s, and I should know, I spent very happy times in the clubs and bars along del Pilar Street and surrounding areas

A draconian purge saw the complete closure of this 'entertainment' area and clubs and sex workers were driven north to places like Olongapo.

This could, and perhaps should, happen to Pattaya. If Thailand must appeal to sex tourists and provide a 'reservation' for sex workers, it should be developed somewhere in it's heartlland away from family friendly locations. The equivalent of South Africa's 'Sin City'

A mammoth task but it would be worth it in the end. Wouldn't it be refreshing to watch a travelogue or documentary on Thailand without constant references to Pattaya, Patpong, Walking Street etc.

[The Deerhunter]

In my opinion they should tackle the dirt that is all over the place , I think tourists are capable of staying out of trouble, but the confrontation with the garbage lying around is not good for the image, and I'm not talking Pattaya, the whole of Thailand is in poor shape.

Well the general/Prime Minister might have told one of his deputies to "get rid of all the street filth from Thailand" so they went looking for lady-boys. LOL

[ebean001]

If tourism is reduced then money coming into Thailand will be reduced. This means lay-offs all over the place including the military and police. Recession is another word. Put enough people out of work who really do not have much of an education or skills other than the ones they are using now becomes the responsibility of the government to support them. There are no other choices. The poor do not have enough money to support all the other poor. Before jumping too high please develop the eduction system...college education and skills education. The people must find work they can do to support themselves. this even includes criminals. arresting them adds a huge government cost for police, lawyers, and prisons. It is best to provide them with education and work.

[Equalizer]

Yes i agree. The visible needs removing. A beach full of free lance pros is a big problem. Get rid. 6 foot tall lady boys blocking you on the road. Get rid. In fact anyone who leaves the confines of their place of work to stop you in the street. Get rid. I for one just do not like it. We know who you are, we know where you work. We are not stupid! We who have been here a long time know what the majority of the working girls do when they finish their shift. They gather in a group and arrive at one of the many cute young Thai boy hot spots dotted all over town. You know the ones! the little pretty boys with the jelled weirdo looking hair cuts. What are these guys? Yes male prostitutes. What do the girls go there for? Yes to bar fine them. So in hindsight it is the pretty boys who end up with your short time money. Amazing Thailand. In their defense they black out the bar and do not show case themselves in the street in general. You may get the odd advertising campaign where they all go around town in the back of a truck all bannered up advertising a new establishment. you know how it should be girls, you take a leaf out of their book and stop pestering people in the street.

[robkey69]

Pattaya without hookers???? what would be the draw there? The beaches are bad, water is polluted...Pattaya would be a ghost town...Maybe the Pattaya the BIB just need to flash the Johnny Manziel money sign a little more...

Sounds like a surcharge "tax" is wanted.

I use to love Thailand, but now I can take it or leave it..

[Tanlic]

If they are going to clean up Pattaya they may have a problem

How do the expect to form a coalition with Australia, Germany, the USA and the UK, that need would need, with all this ISIS trouble going on

[Sena Dave]

I don't believe it. Full stop.

The infrastructure behind the bar and entertainment industry in Pattaya is enormous. Take away the bars and the bar girls, hundreds of thousands of tourists will not come to Pattaya. The speed with which this would happen will be directly proportional to the speed at which the bars are closed. Think of the number of service industry's that will go under. Just to name a few, the restaurants, the ice suppliers, the fresh food suppliers, shops, the booze and soft drink suppliers. Hundreds upon hundreds of people indirectly employed by the entertainment industry. Hotels will be emptier than they are now.

Who will benefit ? The scuba dive industry, kite surfing, para gliding, speed boat, and jet ski industry. Who are they ? Those industries that have been in the news quiet recently. Right ? And who will replace the fleeing Pattaya tourist. If you think the Chinese invasion has already started, you haven't seen nothing yet baby. It has already been reported about current negotiations to increase Chinese tourism 3 fold next year alone. Worried about losing "Thainess" (sorry about bringing that up), this invasion will be a death knock.

This is another ill conceived plan. Pattaya can be cleaned up without eradicating the bar and entertainment industry. The police just have to have a well directed imagination,

Prostitution in China is widespread, pretty much every Hotel you stay in offers a "Service". So having no bars girls wouldnt stop the Chinese from coming to Pattaya. I'd say many long term ex-pats have settled down and stay in Pattaya because it is familiar and Farang Friendly , not for the bar girs

The people who will not come are the two week holidayers with 3 Grand in their pocket to spend on beer and birds. I wouldnt miss them but I reckon Bar owners , Retaurant owners and guest house owners will

[cmiuc]

could you imagine when a foreigner or military guy steps into thailand in the future.. they see wholesome places to visit and normal life... no more debauchery(?) or sticking frogs up the vagina or boystown... just families everywhere... paradise in a wholesome way... in a way like "hawaii" (even though they have skanky places in Honolulu still...)

where will these skanky people go to next?

With ASEAN, they are going to stop this crap... everywhere will become a little singapore... hehe

i can see some skanks foaming at the mouth now...