Police beef up operations against prostitution in entertainment venues

[harleyclarkey]

Thailand? Prostitution?

Nah....surely they are mistaken?

[mathias67]

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.

[eeworldwide]

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.

Edited February 1, 2015 by eeworldwide

[thesetat2013]

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.

[dragonfly94]

When Mr. T was first in power, he made all the dancers wear long jeans and long sleeve shirts. And all the bars closed at 11:30 pm.

Any links or anything at all to back up these weird claims?

[aripengu]

National News Bureau of Thailand

[Suradit69]

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.

[empireboy]

Gotta love a good joke!

[wow64]

I doubt this crackdown will last more then a minute and will end prematurely.

I just hope the BIB go soft on this crack.

Edited February 1, 2015 by wow64

[Jungle Jim]

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.

[sabaii69]

BIB have hardened their attitude, stiffened their resolve and inserted themselves into prostitution rings. Things could get messy. But I can't see a happy ending from this.

This certainly sux. I see a lot of people getting screwed on this deal

[greenchair]

When it was the beach umbrellas and the poor food vendors getting their lively hoods taken away with no warning , many were shouting yahoo without a thought for all those people out of jobs. But oh no! !! Closing down those girlie bars,with all those young girls, that the old guys like. It's a different tune.

However,in many countries now, it is not the girl who is prosecuted. But the person who encourages/facilitates the act.

Probably put 50% of the guys on here in a bind wouldn't it.??

[Monkeyrobot]

Nana, Cowboy, Patpong ... are legal entertainment venues.

Edit: As well as other areas including much of Pataya.

The venues may be legal but what of some of the activities conducted or organised within ?

What activities? This article is about prostitution. The bars and gogos aimed at foreigners are already tightly regulated.

Prostitution isn't an activity ?

That's why there is a "barfine". Any act of prostitution takes place elsewhere, not on the premises.

So why do they have short time rooms in Nana plaza and Cowboy and what about all the massage parlours? They may as well close down 90% of Pattaya.

[Beetlejuice]

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.

[KonKorat]

Tourisms will drop 99%

[sabaii69]

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.

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.

[MrWorldwide]

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.

[lildragon]

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....

[Jungle Jim]

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.

[micmichd]

What exactly is "a promiscuous manner"?

There's various kinds. The ones that have different customers every 2 or 3 hours, and the ones that stick to a steady customer for the period of his stay. The latter might as well be defined as a 'vacation love' (or something like that), good bars and venues should be able to control. The others are certainly a risk, an issue for Public Health and maybe Family Planning. I mean the use of condoms in sexual intercourse, alternatively evidence that STD is not spread and fathers of children cannot just run away back home and tell everyone what they're told and love to tell about Thai women in public.

Many girls from Issan suffer from the myth of all-available prostitution and promiscuity in Thailand, most of all the kathoys that Farangs call lady boys. Like it or not, homosexuals, transsexuals and transvestites are integer part of Thai society, and many work in places where no Farags would ever expect them to work.

In Europe or USA you might need a law to change attitudes towards genders or sexual orientation, and many Farang societies are in fact a long time lag behind European laws of equal rights. Not such a good idea to provide evidence that middle age attitudes are still persistent in certain TVF posters' minds all the time, sincerely.

[Zatoichi]

Grab those annoying tuk tuk drivers who run up on you with some tattered pics of porn talking about "You wan sexy massage!?!"

[arrowsdawdle]

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?

[Jungle Jim]

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.

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.

[arrowsdawdle]

Thailand? Prostitution?

Nah....surely they are mistaken?

No Thai would do such a thing.

[MisterStretch]

If they are successful it will be the last nail in the Thailand tourist coffin.

Martial law...no one wants to come.

Scams, scams, scams...oh, a taxi driver was fined. But scams keep tourists away.

Murders on Koh Tao, killings elsewhere, all handled amateurishly. Tourists stay away.

Fun, besides sun...now going to be eliminated. Tourists will stay away.

So much for tourism.

Prostitution has been in this country for centuries, beginning with the working girls that went from village to village to service the farmers. History is history.

Now, Thailand is going to be 'puritanical'?

I remember, about a decade ago, that a social study found that 1 in 4 women in Thailand were involved in prostitution in some form; though not all forms were defined.

Now, imagine the venues shut down, the girls without ANY income, whether you agree or not, and a greater social storm will be created than by giving a wink and a nod to places that, at least, are run 'honestly' and with the 'welfare' of the girls involved taken care of.

Prayuth thinks he can rebuild tourism for families here? In this economy?

Must be smoking something...that is illegal.

[Rajhulmaheesh]

and a million sexpats cried out in horror..

Last night i saw what looked like a SWATteam. at NANAplaza.

[gandalf12]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Pattaya gonna be a ghost town

That would be a positive move at least

[dragonfly94]

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

[binjalin]

Walking Street? Nana? Loi Khro? they gotta be joking right?

[eeworldwide]

and a million sexpats cried out in horror..

Last night i saw what looked like a SWATteam. at NANAplaza.

Really?

Could you elaborate? Im pretty certain it's gonna get messy around the redlight areas. We would be fools to think otherwise.

Although these venues might be tightly regulated, all they need to do is post a policeman outside every gogo joint.

These see you enter without a girl, and see you exit with a girl... While that itself is not a crime, they can certainly make you feel pretty uncomfortable with your questioning, as they know exactly what you intend to do.

That's what I would do, if I was Prayut.