Survey reveals growing American distrust in vaccines for COVID, other infectious diseases

[cgphuket]

More bogus efforts to impress the West, while Thailand struggles not to change centuries of tradition...

[IAMHERE]

The mother wasn't able to procure Laotian girls for prostitution. We are left with the question, would she have lodged the complaint if she had been able to do so and pay back the loan?

When will these state officials identified in the skim books be publicly arrested, indicted and tried?

Would hope the names and guilt are verified in some manner before publication.

[retarius]

I'm starting to believe....

[MaiChai]

Those defamation laws can be used by the powerful, even if the defamation was true. Thus it becomes hard to prosecute the powerful here.

[The manic]

More vigorous enforcement of slavery and human trafficing should be welcomed by everyone.

Shurely shum mishtake ere (ed]

[jcisco]

Interested piece of reporting.

1. No byline from the author who wrote this

2. Quoted unnamed sources

3. A karoke bar remained namless nor was its address given

a. And Yet they named the bar owner and went into detail over books.

4. Under what charges have the police held him. What are his alleged offenses

5. What happened to the ladies involved?

6. Only foreigners where the ladies, no thai ladies what so ever?

7. Also forgot the Nameless mother from where???

8. And combined forces of who and what.....??????

This article stinks of creative writing

[The Deerhunter]

keeping accounts of bribes? not for tax purposes surely

No! For exactly this eventuality! Information easily found in a raid so "If I go down, you do too!" No-one like paying police bribes so the "protection" aspect is held up openly for testing

[The Deerhunter]

In a country were you could probably include this type of business in their GDP

Good point. I often wonder how much of an impact on the Thai economy there would be if all bars, massage emporiums and shops, karaoke venues, were closed and all the employees, males & females ordered back home or to other jobs.

Regardless of how much BS is emitted from TAT, the contribution of this whole business, IMHO, on Thailand's economy is enormous. Of course, so are elephants, temples and Phad Thai (not so enormous).

Exactly. Well said. The Prostitution industry is in 2 sectors, local and tourist. Both are highly entwined in their respective niches. The tourism sector is so unable to be separated from the hotel-nightclub-bar industries that they are totally reliant on each other. If both sectors (local & tourist) closed, the unemployment in the surrounding industries would place the economy in a state of virtual collapse. There is no-where to take up the numbers of people who would be displaced.

As for the local prostitution industry, it is huge and many tiered. If there are TV members who do not know what goes on in those little bars & nightclubs with twinkly lights on the bypasses or main entry-exit roads to every town in the land then they would be "shocked," For the upper tiers of local prostitution. see the 2011 movie "Elephant White" starring Kevin Bacon. (Just ignore all the death & mayhem.)

[Daniel Boon]

This is one of those ... you have to start somewhere; as these issues gain more notoriety, the impetus will grow ... slavery - and sort - is criminal as well as morally

[Baerboxer]

I live in Lamlukka, and there are a HUGE number of these 'locals' entertainment venues, including a very old and very big karaoke bar right opposite my shop house. Which often gets 'police inspections' !! and if you travel down Lamlukka from K2 to K5 there at least 10 on the main road alone, never mind the back streets.

I dont think the place opposite me can make too much money, as the lady who runs it empties the 7/11 bin bags every sunday and wednesday night and rakes back the slightly out of date stuff they're chucking out !!

To be fair, they are actually good neighbours, no loud music, no trouble outside, Flashing outside lights off at bang on 1am......but reading this news report, this will definitely be a good area to start this crack down. Lots of places to go at ! I shall watch and see what happens over the road !!

Really? Yet the three very big ones, that used to have large numbers of girls outside have all closed down. One even had valet parking. Can't remember all the names but one was called Climax. All seems to have closed down or shut up for the time being at least.

Driving down Lam Luk Ka road which I do regularly, there are the usual small ubiquitous bear bars, often with several girls sitting outside. Small and not so many, and I don't see the girls outside so much these days.

But you suggest 10+ "entertainment venues" not small bars. Where exactly on that road and what names would they be? Sorry, but quite frankly, I don't see them.

[davidstipek]

That sounds like a threat maybe he fears his name will turn up in the raids.

Maybe he is warning because without his request being complied with.... He would not be enabled to either remove/destroy or alter what would be ultimately be found and confiscated as evidence. Thus having the opportunity to remove any trace of certain Individuals from any involvement..?

[Gentmartin]

I live in Lamlukka, and there are a HUGE number of these 'locals' entertainment venues, including a very old and very big karaoke bar right opposite my shop house. Which often gets 'police inspections' !! and if you travel down Lamlukka from K2 to K5 there at least 10 on the main road alone, never mind the back streets.

I dont think the place opposite me can make too much money, as the lady who runs it empties the 7/11 bin bags every sunday and wednesday night and rakes back the slightly out of date stuff they're chucking out !!

To be fair, they are actually good neighbours, no loud music, no trouble outside, Flashing outside lights off at bang on 1am......but reading this news report, this will definitely be a good area to start this crack down. Lots of places to go at ! I shall watch and see what happens over the road !!

Really? Yet the three very big ones, that used to have large numbers of girls outside have all closed down. One even had valet parking. Can't remember all the names but one was called Climax. All seems to have closed down or shut up for the time being at least.

Driving down Lam Luk Ka road which I do regularly, there are the usual small ubiquitous bear bars, often with several girls sitting outside. Small and not so many, and I don't see the girls outside so much these days.

But you suggest 10+ "entertainment venues" not small bars. Where exactly on that road and what names would they be? Sorry, but quite frankly, I don't see them.

I was talking about the entertainment venues as the 'ubiquitous bear bars' as you put it, obviously Im not an expert and my idea of the subject of the original op (and the size of such places) are incorrect and for this I apologise. Im not sure now what sort of place the police are raiding and look forward to you enlightening me on what exactly all these places with flashing lights that only open at night are, and how to differentiate on which may offer services for sale. Oh and the relative difference between big ones and small ones. As reference, the places opposite me are 3 shop/house units wide.....

I would agree that you certainly dont see as many girls sat right outside anymore, and i we may poder whether this is by chance or design.

[Gentmartin]

Happening right now, Police and army in numbers raiding 2 Karaoke bars across street from me, after coming from another one just on main road. Looks like theyre checking up on them all tonight !!!

Pictures to follow.

Area is Lamlukka Khlong 2.........

[EyesWideOpen]

In a country were you could probably include this type of business in their GDP

Good point. I often wonder how much of an impact on the Thai economy there would be if all bars, massage emporiums and shops, karaoke venues, were closed and all the employees, males & females ordered back home or to other jobs.

Regardless of how much BS is emitted from TAT, the contribution of this whole business, IMHO, on Thailand's economy is enormous. Of course, so are elephants, temples and Phad Thai (not so enormous).

Not to mention all foreigners wives questioned carefully about the legitimacy of their feelings towards the old duffers.

Thank heaven for old duffers, otherwise those cast off farm girls with two kids from

the local farm boy, would be in a world of financial hurt .....

[Gweiloman]

Happening right now, Police and army in numbers raiding 2 Karaoke bars across street from me, after coming from another one just on main road. Looks like theyre checking up on them all tonight !!!

Pictures to follow.

Area is Lamlukka Khlong 2.........

I would wager that probably not even one out of a million tourists would know where Lamlukka is. The businesses there would be catering 100% to locals (ok, 99.99999999% as there's probably some farangs living there).

So much for bringing happiness back to the people.

Having said that, if these places were engaged in promoting underage sex and/or human traficking, lock the proprietors up and throw away the key.

[Chris Lawrence]

The mother wasn't able to procure Laotian girls for prostitution. We are left with the question, would she have lodged the complaint if she had been able to do so and pay back the loan?

When will these state officials identified in the skim books be publicly arrested, indicted and tried?

Are you living in Thailand or LA-LA land?

One of my biggest criticisms of Thai Visa is that when someone like noitom posts a genuine comment showing their point of view on something going on, others like thesetat2013 are allowed to post a sarcastic response that adds nothing to the discussion. I can certainly see which one of these members is living in LA-LA land!

I have to believe that thesetat2013 was responding to what is obviously a rhetorical question out of the frustration that many of us feel. Many of us feel that prosecution over things like this is a sham and that, at worst, the offenders are simply transferred. So, while you can criticize Thai Visa members till your heart's content, many of us will simply go on feeling like thesetat2013, that there is little in the way of justice for the victims.

Maybe its time for the mods to take an inventory of TV? This may assist in giving better direction to TV members when posting.

Just because you feel a particular way, doesn't mean that you can take frustrations out on a poster trying to deliver the truth. Thailand can be a very frustrating country to us non-Thais. One of the hardest things is not getting certain levels of Thai society involved in discussions, even though they are part of the problem?

At the moment, the Police force is still being rid of supporters of Mr T. Reports are framed as to show progress in stamping out corruption. If human trafficking is also stamped out in this process more the better. But at the end of the day will reports like the op change the fabric of policing efforts. It does seem that this action is more of a power grab? Sad as that may sound.

[maidee]

so are they saying, that they need permission of the local crooks, if they want to investigate a crime ?

just enough time to give some calls to make them disappear during the raid, right ?

[mike80122]

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A while back I read a very comprehensive study of prostitution in Thailand that verified your comments on the local prostitution industry.The tourist portion of the industry pales by comparison. Prostitution is endemic in Thai society and has been for centuries. It became highly visible internationally when Bangkok became an R&R destination for the American military which was then followed by a growth in sex tourism. The new "morality" standards are window dressing for the international press. Typical government "smoke and mirrors" designed to obfuscate the real issue of the lack of quality jobs for a huge portion of the Thai population and no discernible plan to alleviate that problem. So the government of the moment will round up the usual suspects (who all seem to come from Laos or Myanmar) and business will go on as usual.

Exactly. Well said. The Prostitution industry is in 2 sectors, local and tourist. Both are highly entwined in their respective niches. The tourism sector is so unable to be separated from the hotel-nightclub-bar industries that they are totally reliant on each other. If both sectors (local & tourist) closed, the unemployment in the surrounding industries would place the economy in a state of virtual collapse. There is no-where to take up the numbers of people who would be displaced.

In a country were you could probably include this type of business in their GDP alt=blink.png>

Good point. I often wonder how much of an impact on the Thai economy there would be if all bars, massage emporiums and shops, karaoke venues, were closed and all the employees, males & females ordered back home or to other jobs.

Regardless of how much BS is emitted from TAT, the contribution of this whole business, IMHO, on Thailand's economy is enormous. Of course, so are elephants, temples and Phad Thai (not so enormous).

As for the local prostitution industry, it is huge and many tiered. If there are TV members who do not know what goes on in those little bars & nightclubs with twinkly lights on the bypasses or main entry-exit roads to every town in the land then they would be "shocked," For the upper tiers of local prostitution. see the 2011 movie "Elephant White" starring Kevin Bacon. (Just ignore all the death & mayhem.)