Police beef up operations against prostitution in entertainment venues

[JohnThailandJohn]

While prostitution may be illegal in Thailand, there is a big loophole in how Thailand defines prostitution:

"prostitution" means sexual intercourse, or any other act, or the commission of any other act in order to gratify the sexual desire of another person in a promiscuous manner in return for money or any other benefit, irrespective of whether the person who accepts the act and the person who commits the act are of the same sex or not;"

Without the part in red, in Thailand's legal eyes it would be prostitution just for the benefit of not satisfying being horny. Well that is my take being from the US where how a law is worded is often more important than the intent which I assume when they say benefit it is to mean material or monetary benefit.

At last! Indisputable evidence that the law - at least on prostitution in Thailand - is an ass. The question is:whose, and were they being paid for promiscuously making it available?

Seriously, this is just what the Land of Smiles needs to put the final nail in the coffin of what remains of their tourist industry.

Tsunami, Floods, Riots and Martial Law (to name a few) have put temporary dents in the tourist industry but the number of foreign arrivals have doubled in the last decade. A decade in which many Thaivisa posters continually predict the downfall of tourism. Even with the protests and martial law this past year saw more tourism than every other year beyond the previous year. No matter how much some may wish the downfall, it ain't gonna happen and the numbers are going to keep going up.

[RigPig]

TAT will not be pleased to hear this,as that is what a lot of tourists

come here for,not just for temples,culture,food etc,if this does take

off,what will a sterile,squeaky clean Thailand be like.

regards Worgeordie

I thought prostitution was illegal in thailand and never happened ? does this mean it is now considered to be illegal as they are cracking down on it , did they not crackdown on it before ?

wh

NOT A VERY TASTEFUL PSEUDONYM, I think you should take a deep dark look inside and create another account, but what do I know, ´m only human

[RigPig]

This is more lip service only since most establishments are affiliated with policemen or Gov officials. Most likely the only places that this will be enforced are the businesses that don't have the police protection.

"...since most establishments are affiliated with policemen or Gov officials."

"most??" You've been sipping too much from the TV font of imaginary wisdom.

Just more Farang Fantasy Factory smoke-blowing factoids. Get your statistics on demand from the bar stool police & business experts.

​Also interesting how many posters get their knickers in a knot about alleged human trafficking and exploitation ... until its (theoretical) eradication might impinge on their personal pursuits.

Well if you weren´t living in a rice paddy and opened your eyes (took the rose coloured glasses and blinkers / blinders off) you may be able to see what is going on around you but I guess there is none so blind as those that don´t want to see.

The human trafficking and child exploytation is not happening in Pattaya, Phuket or the Farang venues of Bangkok, it is happening in the darkest deepest parts of Isaan and other parts of none Farang Thailand. If you left the rice paddy (whether real or imaginary) you would get to see it..... maybe!!!

[kennypowers]

I watched Prayuth speaking on this the other night and he was referring to the Laotian girls who were found in a prostitution den, locked up, in Udon Thani. This is about the third in the last few months so he is keen to want to be seen as doing something about it, particularly because many of the girls are underage, as someone already mentioned.

I can't see him clamping down on Nana, Pattaya etc. Unless he has a backup plan to provide alternative employment or state care, I can't see him wanting to his hands dirty. Although, he did say in the same speech that farmers who don't earn enough money should take one of the many new canal digging jobs being created to better water flow in dry regions. Can't see the Nana girls doing that though.

Edited February 1, 2015 by kennypowers

[RigPig]

if it gets rid of the majority of sex tourists looking for a girlfriend or wife. Gee Whiz! They might have to make an effort learn Thai and date a normal Thai woman. Problem is mom and dad would take one look at scummy foreigner and toss his butt out the door. The majority of sex tourists need to go including the expats. It would improve things greatly for the Thais. The girls would have to get a real job.

This should be Interesting....

As for those involved in child prostitution I agree 100% these people should be targeted and thrown in jail for a long period of time. As for adults just look at when they do raids on Beach Road, your nicked just pay 100Bt and on your way. Anyway we all know that most if not all these venues pay the police off so they can do business.Oh well another blow to tourism even if you do not agree with this type of business.

The majority of these despicable offences don´t happen in Farang venues, it happens in Thai establishments, whether this will be cleaned up or not (and I hope it does, and they need this as part of their ¨trafficking"in people scrutiny) is yet to be seen. This is not (or at least it shouldn´t be) about Pataya, Phuket or Nana Plaza., But once again we will soon see if it is more than lip service and see if thy bust the local ¨Nakon Nowhere¨ police chief.

I wont hold my breath...

[RigPig]

Is child prostitution still a big issue in Thailand?

I am going to be honest, of all my 30 plus years of living in Thailand I have never seen any evidence of child prostitution (thank God), unlike in the Philippines where it`s rampant. But I have never and do not look for it.

In Chiang Mai any females of ill repute who are less than 45 years old are considered underage.

Another reason I live in Phuket !!!!

[Ulic]

My problem is with so much corruption, and so many pronouncements I can never really tell if these Police-General directives are

serious or not.

[RigPig]

Lets be honest here, some of us are saying that places like Nana and Cowboy etc are going to be safe. Are they?

How do you know?

This is just the START of something, and I for one would be willing to bet that these places will definitely see some kind of shake up in the coming months.

IMO , its all a house of cards. Sure - the Thai karaoke bars etc that farangs never visit will undoubtedly get hit, but the people that have their stakes in these places, will undoubtedly have stakes in the "legal" entertainment centres.

Face it - none of us can read Prayut's mind, you DONT know what he's planning, and I for one think it's extremely likely that the infamous red light districts that cater to the "wrong" kind of tourist, will undergo some major changes.

I've passed through the soi where Nana is on, late of an evening and the place is littered with prostitutes who are plying their trade.

Those days will soon be gone. You can't have a national crackdown on prostitution, but just ignore those places and think that it will continue in the same fashion as it did before.

As to loopholes etc, that as may be, but I seriously think there will be some MAJOR changes. Expect heavy police presence at the very least, for a considerable period, in these areas.

The PM and his team are not blind to what is happening.

It wouldn't surprise me if a farang exiting these places with a girl on his arm, could be questioned when outside, by police.

Anyway - I haven't got a crystal ball, but Im willing to bet my bottom dollar that it's going to be entertaining.

Best have your wits about you if you go to these places.

And lastly, it wouldn't surprise me if they DO take a European spin on this and start going after the men themselves - lets wait and see.

And NO - I don't think it will just be a matter of paying off the police, if you're caught doing something, that kind of activity is right at the top of Prayut's no-no list right now, and these new measures and shakedowns are designed to CHANGE things, not provide the police with a way of making more money on the side.

Places like Ratchada, Nana and Cowboy will not be closed down because of who owns those establishments, I mean Prayuth could try but he'd be upsetting some in his own ranks by doing so....

Do you REALLY think this is about Farang ¨entertainment¨ venues? It´s about picking up their shares in the human trafficking poles.......

[RigPig]

Guess what ? I met my wife at a restaurant barely spoke a word of English. Won,t get near a bar.

OMG! Millions of foreign sex tourists, expats, perverts and alcoholics will have to go elsewhere. If this is true. One of my happiest moments in Thailand. I can hear the moans already on the forum.

It's all right for you Jungle Jim, they named a bar in Soi Cowboy after you, what about the rest of the guys?

JJ.jpg

Heheh his ex bar girl wife must run it.

The house next to the rice paddy is fine and all you perverts and alcoholics that don´t fit the jigsaw should go home, where ever that is, your not welcome here. How dare you e different and see life from another perspective, shame on you.....

[The manic]

Follow the Germans...................

[RigPig]

This is more lip service only since most establishments are affiliated with policemen or Gov officials. Most likely the only places that this will be enforced are the businesses that don't have the police protection.

Isn't that the idea?

This is more lip service only since most establishments are affiliated with policemen or Gov officials. Most likely the only places that this will be enforced are the businesses that don't have the police army protection.

[RigPig]

Step up ? You mean falling down drunk. The girls will do just fine as they always have. Besides the foreigners that bitch and moan about she did me wrong won,t have anything to complain about any longer. But the bottle down and meet a women you did not need to find in a bar.

So, the 'scummy foreigner' will no longer be required to step up and take care of families where the Thai male has done a runner? How about the 'scummy' money the people love from expats? Don't need, going back to the farm to work............Wait, the farms are mechanized so there is no work there JJ.

if it gets rid of the majority of sex tourists looking for a girlfriend or wife. Gee Whiz! They might have to make an effort learn Thai and date a normal Thai woman. Problem is mom and dad would take one look at scummy foreigner and toss his butt out the door. The majority of sex tourists need to go including the expats. It would improve things greatly for the Thais. The girls would have to get a real job

As for those involved in child prostitution I agree 100% these people should be targeted and thrown in jail for a long period of time. As for adults just look at when they do raids on Beach Road, your nicked just pay 100Bt and on your way. Anyway we all know that most if not all these venues pay the police off so they can do business.Oh well another blow to tourism even if you do not agree with this type of business.

Yeah I am SURE the Thai BF will step up and take care of his responsibilities as a father.......

[RigPig]

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Pattaya gonna be a ghost town

That would be a positive move at least

Can close them all down for all I care, just 'hubs' of crime, exploitation, drugs, lies and mostly crappy sex.

Great have fun in the rice paddy, but don´t tell me or others where to get our entertainment, to each his own, unless you live in Thailand .... apparently !

[RigPig]

They should allow LAO girls back on stage @ NANAplaza-just not the same since they were booted.

[RigPig]

Beer bars and gogo bars are all illegal businesses as their main source of income is prostitution not to mention selling liquor all hours of the day and night.

If the Thai government shut all these places to 'clean up its image' tourism will collapse but maybe recover as people begin to visit who wouldnt of otherwise.

Thai bar prostitutes are grossly overrated anyway. I havent been to a beer bar here in Bangkok for over 10 years. Waste of money and time.

NO they are not illegal, but prostitution is ....

And you obviously went to the wrong bars ....

[RigPig]

Personally I hope they do crack down on it all and close it all down, that should make it much easier to find a young girl that was too lazy to work hard at school and wants to take the easy way out and send her parents money every month.

(sarcasm, but that is where it will go)

[MrWorldwide]

If it's implemented, this could really hurt. Wonder what sort of jobs the country could offer to these tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of workers.

Try 2-2.5 million sex workers - the NGO estimate - and the countless small businesses who rely on the much-maligned punter (Thai or Farang, they are still punters) and the flow-on income he generates when said sex workers go out and spend their money. Over 6 million people already trying to survive below the poverty line in Thailand - that's a lot of very unhappy campers : cant see the point in adding more people to PT's standing army of the disaffected.

[Eddy B]

Mosquito's are the same as prostitution in Thailand. They and it will never-ever be stopped here and once it's bitten you just can't stop the itch!

[RigPig]

Guess what ? I did not meet her in a bar.

W

It's all right for you Jungle Jim, they named a bar in Soi Cowboy after you, what about the rest of the guys?

JJ.jpg

Heheh his ex bar girl wife must run it.

A wise man once said that ALL women are wh0res exempt for Mom, and if you want to know about Mom...... ask Dad.

Seriously why do you think men went back to the cave when they were busy hunting and partying with the ¨boys¨? And if they didn´t there would be no human race !!!

I suspect you met her in the tabernacle good for you I hope you are happy, but that is not for all of us.

But don´t worry I forgive you...

[RigPig]

If it is true i and many of my foreign friends will be jumping for joy. The sex tourists will have to leave. YEA!

the oldest profession in the World and now gone

it is a sad day indeed

mark this in your diaries

1st Feb 2015 a day that will live in infamy.

It was here before you were and it will be here long after, so make it easy and leave yourself... (take you friends too then the rest of us will be happy)

[MrWorldwide]

There goes the TAT's projected revenue and GDP down by about 60%!!!

It's a shame that - even in the boom years - tourism is less than 10% of GDP, even with the flow-on income from tourists finding its way into the pockets of Thais who have no direct involvement with the horde.

[Choonpon]

Dear uncle pushing the thai people hard against the wall. So many of 'this cannot that cannot'... how long more can they tolerate when the people's livelihoods are at stake?

[MrWorldwide]

All brothels in Udon Thani have been closed indefinitely, from a couple of days ago. That's about 20 places. I guess they mean business.

Now there's a man prepared to put himself out there and do the necessary firsthand reporting needed to confirm that this malarkey is more than hot air - bravo, sir. I probably would have called it a night after the first four or five, but I admire your tenacity.

[RigPig]

To get rid of prostitution you cannot simply outlaw it, it needs to be made a less attractive option for the people who might take that route. This means better jobs, better pay, better education and more opportunities for employment. Some form of basic welfare for the elderly would be good too as it would remove pressure on families to send the daughters out to work early, often forcing them into the most plentiful source of employment out of necessity- prostitution.

Outlawing prostitution would simply push the activity into more dangerous venues and remove the ability to police areas where it takes place effectively.

That said, this sounds more like permission to put the squeeze on bar owners and perhaps focus the activity into a few larger venues/areas by shutting down smaller hotspots. This would allow better policing of trafficking and child prostitution, which I think we can all agree would be a good thing.

In the Western world if we have a child we are responsible for it,because we chose to bring it into this world, the child had no say in it, and that´s how we deal with it. In Thailand the children are grateful their parent bought them into this life and feel they owe them, Thais have children to look after them in their older years. I am not saying tihs is right or wrong, it´s just a duifferent outlook. But it explains a lot. Ths is where the ¨pressure¨ comes from.

The ¨hierarchy¨ don´t want the masses educated or to provide a decent welfare system. No one pays tax here or if they do they are diddling it, how will the country pay for all this?

Everyone has a choice in this world, they just take the easy (lazy) way out. Think about it if a girl short times 3 guys a night 4 days a week and gets some lady drinks she could potentially make more than 24,000 Baht a week, most Thai accountants can´t make that in a month, and they have been to university for 4 years. Do you blame them? New I-Phone, Scooter, clothes, Mom has a washing machine and Dad has an ¨Iron Buffalo¨ for the farm, the brother has all the latest gear to impress the next GF.....

And they might find a ¨rich¨ Farang and REALLY seal the deal...

[BestBitterPhuket]

Finally! I hope it's a serious effort. Thailand's reputation has long been tarnished by this filthy trade. Also, the prostitution attracts some if the worst kinds of people to Thailand.

[RigPig]

OMG! Millions of foreign sex tourists, expats, perverts and alcoholics will have to go elsewhere. If this is true. One of my happiest moments in Thailand. I can hear the moans already on the forum.

Millions ? You seem to have done the research, so who am I to question an estimate like that - carry on.

Ever heard of figure of speech, not everything is meant to be literal.

[RigPig]

If it is true i and many of my foreign friends will be jumping for joy. The sex tourists will have to leave. YEA!

the oldest profession in the World and now gone

it is a sad day indeed

mark this in your diaries

1st Feb 2015 a day that will live in infamy.

its not going to happen

the sexpat makes up a very small % of tourists to Thailand

most tourist come here for the Thainess, the food and the beautiful, quiet, safe clean Islands and beaches

You forgot the temples and dragon boat races, that´s why I came ...

[RigPig]

In a few months prostitution and corruption in Thailand will be eradicated forever.... ROFL

[JohnThailandJohn]

OMG! Millions of foreign sex tourists, expats, perverts and alcoholics will have to go elsewhere. If this is true. One of my happiest moments in Thailand. I can hear the moans already on the forum.

Millions ? You seem to have done the research, so who am I to question an estimate like that - carry on.

Ever heard of figure of speech, not everything is meant to be literal.

Actually millions sound about right. Over 20 Million foreign visitors here each year along with numerous people who live here be it working or retired that engage in the sex trade.

Less than 1 out of 10 (less than 10%) Visitors whose main reason purpose to come here is for partying and cheap sex with young women seems doesn't seem hard to believe.

Edited February 1, 2015 by JohnThailandJohn

[RigPig]

If it's implemented, this could really hurt. Wonder what sort of jobs the country could offer to these tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of workers.

Slinging Som Tam on the streets.....