Police Crackdown on Prostitution in Chiang Mai!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Chiang Mai Region 5 police began a crackdown on human trafficking, prostitution and child abuse by performing blanket sweeps of areas in the city well-known for prostitution.

Officials arrested three Thai women aged 25, 30 and 50, and two Shan woman on the side of Changpuek road for soliciting sexual services.

Officials then made trips to designated areas around the city as specified by the local police station, including Loi Kroh road.

Full article: http://chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=4803

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(Seems bars were notified in advance, and it was made known this will last a week. Main thing is closing early at 11:30pm for some reason. )

(EDIT: Just in case not everyone gets it: It's funny because closing at 11:30 encourages prostitution. Pre-midnight sale! )

Edited February 4, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai

[trainman34014]

Presumably the 50 year old was a Madame?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I sincerely hope so.

[heybruce]

It looks like they're going after free-lancers and ignoring brothels. Kind of makes me wonder if they're really cracking down on all prostitution, or just prostitution that doesn't pay agreed upon bribes.

Edited February 4, 2015 by heybruce

[Chicog]

So this "crackdown" lasted all of one night?

[true blue]

What part of Changpuek?

propaly at the bus station waiting for a bus.

[Mickeem]

So this "crackdown" lasted all of one night?

No it's for 3 nights now - started Saturday

They have to be seen doing something even if it hits their own pockets ...

[khwaibah]

Where on LK? I'll have to check it out.

[Mcffee]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

[brewsterbudgen]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

Unless you're coming for trafficked women or underage girls, nothing will have changed.

[true blue]

It looks like they're going after free-lancers and ignoring brothels. Kind of makes me wonder if they're really cracking down on all prostitution, or just prostitution that doesn't pay agreed upon bribes.

never no a free lancer,bar girl,go go dancer,karoke, pay anyone anything,definitely not the bizz,thought they were all independant

[true blue]

forgot massage ladies,in non bribes,555

[heybruce]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

So far they've picked up three streetwalkers near Chang Phuak. No mention of them hitting Go-Go's, brothels, Santitham sleaze joints, Spice.....

On the other hand, if you saw the quality most of the women in these places, you might decide to go for the elephant rides.

[northernjohn]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

Unless you're coming for trafficked women or underage girls, nothing will have changed.

I am all for a permanent crack down on under age and trafficked women.

The others I say live and let live.

[FolkGuitar]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

Unless you're coming for trafficked women or underage girls, nothing will have changed.

I am all for a permanent crack down on under age and trafficked women.

The others I say live and let live.

Do the trafficked women wear little signs identifying them?

[brewsterbudgen]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

Unless you're coming for trafficked women or underage girls, nothing will have changed.

I am all for a permanent crack down on under age and trafficked women.

The others I say live and let live.

Do the trafficked women wear little signs identifying them?

No. But neither are the likely to have Thai ID.

[Mcffee]

I have so many great memories trafficking girls from the bar to my condo...

[northernjohn]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

Unless you're coming for trafficked women or underage girls, nothing will have changed.

I am all for a permanent crack down on under age and trafficked women.

The others I say live and let live.

Do the trafficked women wear little signs identifying them?

Ask the cop's they are the one's doing the crack down. Some how I don't think they are going to tell you.

[Beetlejuice]

Is there still any reason to plan a holiday to Chiang Mai? I defenitely DON'T come for elephant rides.

Unless you're coming for trafficked women or underage girls, nothing will have changed.

You must be kidding. You`ll be lucky to find women of ill repute under the age of 40 in the Loi Kroh road and surrounding areas. In those areas women less than 35 years old are considered underage and females in their 20s as absolute cradle snatching. Most of it is crap, but now it seems they`re even taking the crap away. Heartless swines.

I have been warning for a long time that the clamp downs will progressively increase in Chiang Mai, having first hand word of all the rumours well in advance. In fact I was giving out tip offs as to what is to come. I estimate that within the next 5 years, perhaps less, that the adult entertainments scene of Chiang Mai will be totally eradicated. Replaced by more eating establishments, unneeded shopping malls and boring yuppie market walking streets.

Another tip off, for those considering opening beerbars in Chiang Mai, beware, you are investing in a loser, go south young man.

[Tokay]

Wow, they arrested a handful of street walkers in Chiang Mai? Well done lads, well done. Go have some beers and celebrate.

Meanwhile... what's the update on the scamming karaoke bars?

[WorkingTourist]

Wow, they arrested a handful of street walkers in Chiang Mai? Well done lads, well done. Go have some beers and celebrate.

Meanwhile... what's the update on the scamming karaoke bars?

3 of the 4 karaoke bars near me (on Chang Klan Road) has been closed for weeks (one of them being the bar the Malaysian tourists reported to the police).

[huli]

There are two go go bars in CM. Two nights ago I decided to have a beer in one of them. Foxy Lady was closed and Spotlight had a total of 4 dancers of poor quality. Seems like this may have affected the go gos too.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

There are two go go bars in CM. Two nights ago I decided to have a beer in one of them. Foxy Lady was closed and Spotlight had a total of 4 dancers of poor quality. Seems like this may have affected the go gos too.

3 go gos,

You forgot Star Six?

[Beetlejuice]

I have many fond memories of that area from the past, old friends some now departed, made many new friends, wine, women and song and loads of laughs that was affordable. We were not sexpats, just a bunch of lads out for social. The whole area was heaving with farangs of all nationalities and ages at the time. The Spotlight used to be packed out on most nights plus some great shows on stage. Little did I know at the time that the scene would end up like this.

2 weeks ago I drove passed what used to be the Las Vegas bar. Now it`s just a derelict building with the fading Las Vegas sign still showing over the door. Many other of my old haunts went the same way. I think the beginning of the end was when they levelled all the little open bars close by where the Foxy Lady is located now and then planted trees in the area.

Sad, sad, sad.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

You must be kidding. You`ll be lucky to find women of ill repute under the age of 40 in the Loi Kroh road and surrounding areas. In those areas women less than 35 years old are considered underage and females in their 20s as absolute cradle snatching. Most of it is crap, but now it seems they`re even taking the crap away. Heartless swines.

I have been warning for a long time that the clamp downs will progressively increase in Chiang Mai, having first hand word of all the rumours well in advance.

You now start contradicting yourself within a single post.

You have all the inside information when it comes to law enforcement and police policy, yet here we have it in black and white that girls under 18 were found by that same police force, yet you dismiss this and keep at the tired theme that 'everyone' there are old hags.

You can't have it both ways.

(If you would visit a bit more often you'd find that most staff are in their twenties or early thirties, a minority is over 35 and an even tinier minority is under 18. But there are some under 18. (16 and 17, but that's still under 18.) Another thing we may disagree about is that there is something wrong with women over 35, and that this age group would be somehow detrimental to the enjoyment of wine and song. I'm over 35 myself and enjoy talking with women of any age when in a bar. (Or men for that matter.) I assume we do agree that girls under 18 do not belong in bars.)

I have many fond memories of that area from the past, old friends some now departed, made many new friends, wine, women and song and loads of laughs that was affordable. We were not sexpats, just a bunch of lads out for social. The whole area was heaving with farangs of all nationalities and ages at the time. The Spotlight used to be packed out on most nights plus some great shows on stage. Little did I know at the time that the scene would end up like this.

My, the past does get better with time doesn't it. I visited Las Vegas (the CM bar) 20 years or so ago and it was one of the saddest places I've ever been to. And: Spotlight ever had shows? It may have had the occasional girl or two putting a bit of extra effort into her shift, but let's not fool ourselves: it was always a parade of 3-4 groups of 4-5 bikini-clad women shuffling to sad 80's songs, with awkward German bands with big 80's hair featuring far too prominently in the same tired playlist.

Here, for old times' sake, a Modern Talking playlist.

Now, I will say that I had good times at Spotlight in the 1990s and early naughties, but its decline is completely due to the owners having stopped caring long ago and make any kind of effort other than to raise prices; prices used to be just a couple baht over any other bar, these days it seems they think they're located in Soi Cowboy. At the same time, tourist-oriented nightlife has expanded in Chiang Mai, providing more options. The decline of spotlight has nothing to do with any legal policy but is entirely their own doing. (Or lack of doing) It's operating the exact same way as always, which is probably part of the problem.

Edited February 5, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai

[FolkGuitar]

I am all for a permanent crack down on under age and trafficked women.

The others I say live and let live.

Do the trafficked women wear little signs identifying them?

No. But neither are the likely to have Thai ID.

I've never been in Chiang Mai bars... Sorry, I didn't realize that it's the usual custom here to ask to see a Thai ID before one pays their bar fine.

Edited February 5, 2015 by FolkGuitar

[LivinLOS]

You must be kidding. You`ll be lucky to find women of ill repute under the age of 40 in the Loi Kroh road and surrounding areas. In those areas women less than 35 years old are considered underage and females in their 20s as absolute cradle snatching. Most of it is crap, but now it seems they`re even taking the crap away. Heartless swines.

I have been warning for a long time that the clamp downs will progressively increase in Chiang Mai, having first hand word of all the rumours well in advance. In fact I was giving out tip offs as to what is to come. I estimate that within the next 5 years, perhaps less, that the adult entertainments scene of Chiang Mai will be totally eradicated. Replaced by more eating establishments, unneeded shopping malls and boring yuppie market walking streets.

Another tip off, for those considering opening beerbars in Chiang Mai, beware, you are investing in a loser, go south young man.

Talk about stuck record.. checked out foxy villa lately ??

its just moving online..

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I am all for a permanent crack down on under age and trafficked women.

The others I say live and let live.

Do the trafficked women wear little signs identifying them?

No. But neither are the likely to have Thai ID.

I've never been in Chiang Mai bars... Sorry, I didn't realize that it's the usual custom here to ask to see a Thai ID before one pays their bar fine.

This may just be a case of 'posting before coffee', but the context of the ID card argument was law enforcement. (crack down implies law enforcement) If police are concerned about age and women trafficked from other places then checking a girl's ID card is a really obvious first thing to do.

So he answered your question in full. (Q: "Do the trafficked women wear little signs identifying them." A: "No, but the non-trafficked ones wear a little sign in their wallet that shows they're place of birth and age.")

Edited February 5, 2015 by WinnieTheKhwai

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Side note: Not being Thai does not mean the girl is therefore trafficked. Chiang Mai of course has plenty hilltribe and Shan girls in bars who may not have full Thai nationality. I haven't come across women from other countries in Chiang Mai, but it seems more and more common in Pattaya. Lao women get a one month (I think) visa-free stay in Thailand, after which they move back or move on to another country. Kind of the same what some Thai sex workers do moving between Hong Kong and Singapore.

Some NGOs and governments seem to be trying really hard to make that also fall under their definition of trafficking, but logically that's a little preposterous.

Suppose I am Thai and run a bar in Pattaya. Lao woman goes online on Airasia.com and gets ticket to Bangkok, bus to Pattaya and starts hanging out freelance at my bar. Regardless of how you view the sex work business model morally or legally, having that Lao woman hang out at my bar, who showed up on her own accord and incentive really is not trafficking. It could be all kinds of other things (for one thing she's making money without a work permit and I'm facilitating that), but human trafficking for sexual slavery it's not.

[Loptr]

Underage is one thing, trafficked is another... If a woman is of legal age and works in a bar of her own volition, how is that trafficking? To me it means that a woman has been more or less kidnapped and is working in the adult industry against her will... As with many terms, this one is over used...

After being in CM for a few months and not interested in a LTR at this stage of my life, I have to say that it's a wasteland when it comes to adult night life compared to down south... Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places, but there is no sanuk factor from what I can find... Just some well-worn soapies, brothels, strip clubs and beer bars with ladies more interested in their cell phones than customers, all of which really doesn't appeal to me...

CM is a good place for my reintegration to Thai life and to learn the language, after which I'll probably head to the coast... I know, no need to say it, don't let the door hit you in the a## on the way out...