Thai sex industry under fire from tourism minister, police

[Rhys]

The cycle repeats....someone called asking for a booking at the office..

Edited July 17, 2016 by Rhys

[puukao]

I've been living in Thailand for thirty years and I've never seen the "sex industry".

I went straight to the temple and have been a monk ever since, with limited internet access

[Cockwomble]

As ever, many people vastly overestimate the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

As ever, the government Minister vastly underestimates the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

I'm guessing she's probably a little better informed on the subject than you are.

Given the ability of a lot of government officials, wouldn't bet on it.

[gandalf12]

It may mean families start coming to Thailand now that would be a first. The TAT has always advertised the so called night life in Bangkok and Pattaya. Nice change I for one fully support it.

[otherstuff1957]

If tourists from Western countries stopped coming to Thailand entirely, there would be a slight, but noticeable decrease in tourism numbers and revenue. However, the idea that the country would be abandoned entirely is obviously false.

[LannaGuy]

It may mean families start coming to Thailand now that would be a first. The TAT has always advertised the so called night life in Bangkok and Pattaya. Nice change I for one fully support it.

why a first??? I see families everywhere I go? beach resorts, spas, temples FULL of families and that's great! that has NO bearing on the fullest sex industry on earth which is why single, adult males come here in droves not just the 'professional' sex but the tons of 'dek sideliners' and 'flexible' attitude of thai girls

No righteous minister for whatever of the Junta is going to change that (thank God)

[MissAndry]

What has the minister of tourism to do with the Thai sex industry.

Isn't the sex industry mainly for the Thai men?

Weren't all the places in BK they shut, Thai only?

Sure, shut down Patpong, Nana and Cowboy along with all the foreigner beer bars, that's just for tourists.

But it's a small fraction of the Thai sex industry.

Edited July 17, 2016 by MissAndry

[trogers]

so many businesses would shut it would be very bad for the economy

Those who invested in Pattaya would be trembling...

[mcfish]

Singapore here we come

[Laza 45]

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.

And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

I can't speak of South America but in Asia there is no bigger brothel as Thailand.

So where would those sextourists go then? Probably the Thai hookers will also go there.

..I read recently that Laos is the new hot spot....

[gandalf12]

It may mean families start coming to Thailand now that would be a first. The TAT has always advertised the so called night life in Bangkok and Pattaya. Nice change I for one fully support it.

why a first??? I see families everywhere I go? beach resorts, spas, temples FULL of families and that's great! that has NO bearing on the fullest sex industry on earth which is why single, adult males come here in droves not just the 'professional' sex but the tons of 'dek sideliners' and 'flexible' attitude of thai girls

No righteous minister for whatever of the Junta is going to change that (thank God)

Not in large quantities you dont and nothing like you would if the reputation was cleaned up

[LannaGuy]

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.

And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

I can't speak of South America but in Asia there is no bigger brothel as Thailand.

So where would those sextourists go then? Probably the Thai hookers will also go there.

..I read recently that Laos is the new hot spot....

you're wrong... if any of this fantasy actually happens Philippines would be the place and I visit there yearly now. In fact I love it more than here and if only the infrastructure was as good as here I'd be gone tomorrow!

[mcfish]

look out Cambodia... bad guys,Crime,drugs,mafia, and 1 million hookers headed your way

[SneekyPete]

"Tourists don't come to Thailand for such a thing. They come here for our beautiful culture," Kobkarn told Reuters.

I just about snorted out my nose the mouthful of breakfast I was eating when I read that line. Wow! Priceless. Time to change 'LOS' to 'LOSS' - the Land Of Silly Statements.

[gandalf12]

It may mean families start coming to Thailand now that would be a first. The TAT has always advertised the so called night life in Bangkok and Pattaya. Nice change I for one fully support it.

why a first??? I see families everywhere I go? beach resorts, spas, temples FULL of families and that's great! that has NO bearing on the fullest sex industry on earth which is why single, adult males come here in droves not just the 'professional' sex but the tons of 'dek sideliners' and 'flexible' attitude of thai girls

No righteous minister for whatever of the Junta is going to change that (thank God)

The "why single, adult males come here in droves not just the 'professional' sex but the tons of 'dek sideliners' and 'flexible' attitude of thai girls

" ones you are referring to are the queers and desperate's.

[useronthenet]

Catering for dirty old men isn't really applicable in the 21st century. I must admit picturing a young pretty Thai lady barely 20 years old, with a drooling fart, old enough to be her grandfather is quite repulsive. In EU this would be considered unacceptable. Regretfully, Thailand does seemingly attract the dregs of society .. the sex tourists, perverts, and criminals. Most come after failing to attract a woman in their home country, (which is not surprising). So they come to LOS, as looks/age don't matter, so long as you have a fat bank account. I have witnessed 60 year-old men acting like a 21 year-old, which just looks ridiculous. Would be nice if Thailand cleaned-up it's act. The bars, and whore-houses were catering for the US service men at the time of the Vietnam war, well those days are gone. Time to clean-up the image of the country that is for sure.

[Captain_Bob]

Removing prostitution from Thailand would be like extracting the DNA from a living cell - virtually impossible without centuries of mutation/regeneration. Still, it is something worth reducing/limiting if in any way possible. Sex tourism is deeply damaging to so many lives in so many ways, and the tourists who come here solely for that are scum better sent elsewhere. But yeah it's a pie in the sky pipe dream. Money trumps ethics all the time here.

[billd766]

As ever, many people vastly overestimate the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

As ever, the government Minister vastly underestimates the impact of sex tourism on the Thai economy.

I'm guessing she's probably a little better informed on the subject than you are.

I suspect that as with most ministers in most governments worldwide they only know what they are told by their staff. They rarely leave their offices as they are usually concerned with "great matters of state policy" and have to rely on their staffers to do all the grunt work for them.

If she is a little better informed then her staffers are working well but I doubt that she has gone out and about on the streets, bars, massage parlours and brothels to find out for herself. one reason is that if she went officially there would be great piles of petty local and city officials, police and bodyguards with her and she would find out nothing. She would be out there mob handed and nobody would be willing to speak to her.

The police would claim, as they often do that there is NO prostitution, massage parlours, brothels etc on OUR patch. They would probably be speaking with their fingers crossed behind their backs.

If she went on her own with just the odd one or two people by the time she left the first place the rest would be clear from the first phone call.

Many tourists have availed themselves of the sex industry and I have no doubt that quite a few posters on Thai Visa have also.

[ratcatcher]

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.

And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

I can't speak of South America but in Asia there is no bigger brothel as Thailand.

So where would those sextourists go then? Probably the Thai hookers will also go there.

[FireMedic]

Get rid of the girls and nightlife....then see how many people come here for "culture and food"........

[nakhonandy]

If tourists from Western countries stopped coming to Thailand entirely, there would be a slight, but noticeable decrease in tourism numbers and revenue. However, the idea that the country would be abandoned entirely is obviously false.

Not going to argue with your graph at all, however.

How many average Thais in and around the tourists spots benefit from the largest group, China? Very few, their money goes to the Sino/Thai corporations that own the major hotels souvenir shops etc etc. Talking to my friends around Jomtien/Pattaya they insist the Chinese spend no money or very little and are more of a problem than a gain as they just force all the other hotels and venues to reduce prices.

How many of the Malaysian/Singaporean tourists head off to the south for cheap sex? Huge numbers, don't forget them.

If the sex industry was to be closed, which will never happen, the amount of tourists lost would never be replaced by families as others have put it, Thailand to a large extent has had it's day.

Also what will all the sex workers do and what will all the all the peripheral businesses do, Hotels, Bars, Restaurants etc do when this closes? It will put probably put hundreds of thousands if not millions out of work.

Finally Thailand has promoted this lifestyle as long as I can remember and I have been coming here a long time. Theycan hardly shut it down as far too many of the establishment benefit enormously from it.

[tbthailand]

I suspect this will increase fees for "protection".

And that will increase profits for TPTB.

Sounds like a reasonable business tactic when you have total control.

[MissAndry]

Catering for dirty old men isn't really applicable in the 21st century. I must admit picturing a young pretty Thai lady barely 20 years old, with a drooling fart, old enough to be her grandfather is quite repulsive. In EU this would be considered unacceptable. Regretfully, Thailand does seemingly attract the dregs of society .. the sex tourists, perverts, and criminals. Most come after failing to attract a woman in their home country, (which is not surprising). So they come to LOS, as looks/age don't matter, so long as you have a fat bank account. I have witnessed 60 year-old men acting like a 21 year-old, which just looks ridiculous. Would be nice if Thailand cleaned-up it's act. The bars, and whore-houses were catering for the US service men at the time of the Vietnam war, well those days are gone. Time to clean-up the image of the country that is for sure.

Apart from Peter Stringfellow and Paul McCartney, I can't see many 60 year old men in England being able to attract 20 year old girls. Does that make them all losers? Or does it make your statement bogus?

Not that I agree with it.

By the way, have you been to Spain or Italy recently? I'm fairly sure I saw a lot of young prostitutes with old men while I was there last year.

What was unacceptable when their economy was doing OK, seems to have become acceptable now youth unemployment is over 25%.

Edited July 17, 2016 by MissAndry

[HooHaa]

Backpackers will still come to khaosan and the islands for the party scene. The 'eat pray love' crowd will still come to places like Chiang Mai for the temples. Couples will still come for a relaxing beach villa stay on Samui - or even for their wedding. The Chinese will still visit in ever increasing numbers.

The bar scene is slowly dying out anyway, and anyone who thinks the tourist industry depends on it is kidding themselves. You're simple not as important to Thailand as you think you are. Time for the country to move on.

what a really stupid comment, anyway it won't happen, 90% of farang would leave and no doubt you are married to a girl 20 years younger? you wouldn't stand an earthly chance in your own country so enjoy it and shut up

What's 'stupid' about it, might I ask?

My wife is 6 years younger than me. I met her in my own country.

then you are the great exception! everyone knows the scene is not 'dying out' it's only that we have a 'pious' military junta here at the moment who want to turn the clock back 200 years! I would say 95% of retirees are here because of the availability of younger sex (yes I am one of them) and if you took that away we'd all leave - go tell walking street the 'bar scene is dying out'?

I will only ever truly believe what you said if they close Nana, Walking Street and everything in between so i believe that your comment was silly (not you, your comment on this occasion). Time for the country to move ON not BACK.

How would you care to explain the rising prices and falling numbers in places like Nana plaza parking and soi cowboy?

Anybody with two eyes and a modicum of common sense can see that those places are making their last stand.

The as you yourself has said, the time is here to move on - the tawdry hangover from the Vietnam war days that is Thailand's foreign sex trade is evolving.

The internet makes it possible for women to meet men and ply whatever trade they wish without the demeaning necessity of walking the streets or baring their tits on stage in a beer-soaked go go bar or cockroach infested beer bar.

I believe it is you that lacks understanding.

As for your assertion that 95 percent of retirees are here for the sex, belive what you need to believe. The fact of the matter is that you are quite literally a dying breed and as you shuffle off this mortal coil, their are others with more current attitudes waiting to replace you.

Edited July 17, 2016 by HooHaa

[ttthailand]

Temples and beaches during the day and sex at night. Good business sense would tell me to promote what you are strongest and best known for, this being sex for Thailand. They should legalize it and also bring in gambling. In Addition they could bring in loads of workers from around the world for the sex trade. Think of it, Russian, French, Spanish, Swedish, Chinese, English .... Hahaha Sorry not English, and of course Cambodian, Lao, Burmese and Thai. This could be the home of international sex. And while they are at it they could also legalize Pot. Thailand ... The place to leave your stress, troubles and money behind and relax with a beautiful lady by your side .... Increase wages for the police and crack down on corruption and the entire country would get rich.

Dreaming there for a minute

[trainman34014]

Obviously not enough of the 'takings' are reaching her desk, so time for a warning shot across the bow !

[Jai Dee]

One flame post and subsequent replies have been removed from this thread.

[trainman34014]

Thailand is getting ready for more Asian tourists (Chinese) and they bring more money (together) than those few farang.

First let's start with arresting those pesky ladyboys along beachroads at night.

And most of the Chinese money goes back home as hookers are cheaper and more discreet there. Been there, done that and most Chinese think Thailand is too expensive.

[granuaile]

As far as I'm concerned, I wish her luck. It's a vile thing that needs to be destroyed like a cancer...

[geriatrickid]

It seems that many foreigners on TVF really do not operate a business with large labour requirements. If they did, they would know that there is a skilled labour shortage in Thailand. It is now being felt with unskilled labour too. The population is aging and the birthrate is down. The result is that a large number of the people working in the sext rade are now foreign sourced. They come from Cambodia and Burma, and they are exploited. The attempt to deal with the sex trade is in response to heavy foreign pressure to stop the human trafficking that is pervasive in the region.

The minister has no idea. Get rid of the seedy side of Thailand and people will go elsewhere. People on holiday are looking for a contrast from the daily normality of life.
And there is nothing normal about Thailand!

I can assure you that the minister has more than an idea. She has multiple reports. The one that foreigners should be most interested is the one that details the extent of drug resistant STIs and the increase in Hepatitis and HIV infections. The loose estimate is that more than 50% of the male prostitutes working the Paradise homosexual area of patong are HIV+. The estimate for Pattaya and Samui is not far behind. I don't have the numbers for the females, but the older they are, the more likely they are to be infected with HPV, herpes and other beasties.

so many businesses would shut it would be very bad for the economy

And the sale of yaba to schoolkids could bring in a lot of money too. Exploitation is exploitation. These businesses would be replaced by something more responsible and ethical. Y

Male or female the tourism minister is living in la-la land. Rid Thailand of the sex industry randy farangs will go elsewhere.

Also unemployment/ poverty will increase 10 fold.Also unemployment/ poverty will increase 10 fold.

Good bye and good riddance to the perverts and depraved losers. They will be replaced by people who do not exploit the poor, the mentally ill or desperate folks. How will poverty and unemployment increase when the country is unable to fill jobs? Do you not understand that a large proportion of sex trade workers are foreign sourced? They are marginalized and have no one that will help them. They can turn to no one except a few NGOs.

It's time the country was cleaned up. The police should be raiding some of the brothels and charging the customers, publishing their photos for all to see. Let the Thai husbands share with their wives who they are infecting with STIs what they have been doing. Let the foreigners home countries see who is going to Thailand for sex. Bring it on and kick some butt.

Supporters oof the sex trade are advocating the exploitation of the poor, the mentally ill, drug addicts and children. Would any of the detractors here have the balls to tell their families and co-workers that they support the sex trade? I doubt it. Why's that? Embarrassed? Ashamed?