Can Pattaya really ‘drain the swamp’?

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

They will never 'drain the swamp' because they dont want to.There are too many different classes of people into too many things on too many different levels.Too any controllable options, that give the controllers inordinate amounts of money.

Bars, girls,massage parlours, drugs, money for the right visa, money for not having to have a visa, Pick pockets, Gold grabbers,ladyboy thieves, back handers, shake downs , corrupt officials, bent lawyers, The only people i ever saw doing a great job of work, were the Artists in Art street, next to Mikes shopping mall.I had some Jack Vetriano's copied there. great girl artist.

 Nope! this swamp is, unfortunately,depending upon your opinion, not for draining. All the bad boys and scum would descend upon Phuket and in time would destroy that place as well.

As for Thais being offended when they come here, obvious!, dont come here,! there must be other places with beaches for you and your offended family to go?

Yes no they do not want to. This "house cleaning" approach reminds me of a maid I once had who did not last long. She seemed to think that the rug was on the floor to sweep the dust under. 

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Decriminalise the flesh trade, register the sex workers, and give them the healthcare, protection and social security they are due.

Takes work planning organization skills that are not in abundance here. Sorry forgot the M.O.N.E.Y.

[elgordo38]

46 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

You are missing my point- the Chinese and other Asians go to Walking street now to see the 'show'. they don't spend any money at all because they are not interested in what is offered in Walking Street.  The reason the authorities and government want to change it is so they will be interested.

As far as Thais go- they have been coming to Pattaya before you and I.  They will come in increased numbers in the future as the middle class grows . Thais do not come for the things on Walking Street. They come for food and shopping.

As I have always said- follow the money- there is no money to be made keeping Pattaya the way it is. It's a number game- there are billions of Chinese and Asians plus Thais that will pour into Pattaya under the right circumstances. Utapao airport is and will continue to bring in Charter flights from China and other Asian destinations.

Western tourists are in decline and contribute to the poor image of Pattaya. Anyone with a good business sense changes directions to keep the money flowing.

Good article. Why not take it to the next level and level all the bars and bawdy houses and erect casino's That should cut down on the rates of skin cancer. You speak of increasing affluence and this should fit the bill. Call it Thailand's Little Las Vegas.

Edited March 29, 2017 by elgordo38

[Thaidream]

Casino gambling for Pattaya is absolutely on the table. It would bring billions into Thailand and the Pattaya area. It would immediately change the face of the area for good. The current cabal of Western tourists coming for beer and babes would find that they were unable to compete in the action because they couldn't afford it.  I really see some of the current flesh spots moving out of Pattaya to other locations in Jomtien and the Darkside. 

Follow the money....it always tells one what really is happening.

[lvr181]

It is hard to drain the swamp when you're in, up to your a*se with alligators!  

 

Alligators = corrupt persons from all levels of  government and beyond. 

[smileydude]

Best you can probably do is legalize everything.  Like Nevada, prostitution, gambling etc.  Mafia's and overlords as well as the world's oldest profession will never completely go away so just regulate it and at least you get rid of some of the corruption.

[williamgeorgeallen]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

"Corruption and the foreign crime gangs it fosters stand in the way of turning Thailand into a real country."

 

there I fixed that first sentence.

 

 

i wonder if there are really foreign gangs working in thailand, are they paying off the cops? i dont see how they could operate in thailand otherwise.

[Rimmer]

A post discussing the specifics of prostitution has been removed

[Naam]

3 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Whether you or I like it- Walking Street will be changed and the sex industry relocated to a quieter less in you face location.  There are big time investors with huge amounts of money-mostly Thai that want to bring this money to Pattaya and they see Walking Street as the prime location.

keep on dreaming!

[Thaidream]

Not a dream but reality -  why do you think all the 5 star hotels and the new shopping malls are being built. It certainly is not for the mongers who inhabit Walking Street.  As we speak pressure is being put on the beachside business' who are there illegally to pull out or be bulldozed out.  Once that happens- the bars on the other side will see the light and move on.  Even the ladies who work in the establishments know what is going on and know their days on Walking street are numbered.  There  is plenty of investment money in Bangkok- held by Thais- that would love to renovate Walking Street and gentrify it for the hordes of tourists that it could attract.

It won't happen overnight but in 5 years time you will see the change. Follow the money and you will see where it leads.

None of this means the sex business will end in Pattaya. It will move to other locations but not be as overt as it is now. The days of the GoGo are numbered because it costs too much in overhead and it is no longer possible to control the staff due to agencies being used to find the workers. In addition, the Government doesn't like that type of business.

[Naam]

1 hour ago, Thaidream said:

 As we speak pressure is being put on the beachside business' who are there illegally to pull out or be bulldozed out.

pressure is put on them since 1989

[Thaidream]

Yes and the pressure now includes a new Pattaya Administration backed by the Army and Section 44.  

[Naam]

7 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Yes and the pressure now includes a new Pattaya Administration backed by the Army and Section 44.  

i wish my statistic life expectancy is long enough to see even the tiniest results. 44 years Thailand experience turned me into a yawning skeptic when it pertains to plans of big changes.

[Thaidream]

I also am a skeptic after many Thailand decades- but for some reason I feel that change maybe in the air and it has to do with a changing potential customer base.It's hard to ignore a few billion potential new customers and count on a bunch of mongers to chart your destiny. Time will tell.

[fforest1]

11 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Yes and the pressure now includes a new Pattaya Administration backed by the Army and Section 44.  

There is only one Walking Street that is just fine the way it is...

Thaidream why not dream about your beach side shopping paradise

in any dozens of beach towns in Thailand who I am sure would

love to have it..

 

[Thaidream]

I have no agenda and I personally don't care what happens- I am providing my opinion as to what I see happening to Pattaya in general and Walking Street in particular. My crystal ball is based upon being a long term resident of Thailand and listening and watching the actions of many different governments. As I said. time will tell.

[Naam]

Just now, Thaidream said:

time will tell.

then let's wait for time to tell us.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I would be extremely surprised if any of the girls know that their days on Walking street are numbered ( as 1 op said) Thais have the inability to see past the next meal, let alone the next day, and the future day of their demise doesnt even come into the equation of forward thinking.

[Thaidream]

The only people who seem to have no idea about the status of Walking Street are the customers who keep insisting nothing will ever change it. I assure you the club owners and workers know exactly what is going on.

[morrobay]

 

13 hours ago, Thaidream said:

The only people who seem to have no idea about the status of Walking Street are the customers who keep insisting nothing will ever change it. I assure you the club owners and workers know exactly what is going on.

Could be : https://www.pattayaunlimited.com/end-of-the-road-for-pattayas-walking-street/  

But so far where is the concrete proof ?  And just exactly what first hand knowledge do you have on what the club owners and girls Know ?

[mok199]

this city is so <deleted>%$d i wouldn't know where to start..but i will say this...more respect for the beach,rid this city of the filthy tour buses and lastly give me a better rate on my dollar...i can live with the rest....sawadee no crap

[ftpjtm]

On 3/29/2017 at 1:26 AM, Thaidream said:

Their target audience of Chinese; mid to upper class Thais and other Asian tourists will not come to Walking Street as it is now.

 

You are missing my point- the Chinese and other Asians go to Walking street now to see the 'show'. they don't spend any money at all because they are not interested in what is offered in Walking Street. 

 

Add me to the list of those who disagree with those statements. Walking St is a major destination for the Chinese, middle class Thais, and Asian tourists as far as I can see.

 

- We know quite a few middle class Thais who spend time in both the US and Thailand, and all make occasional trips to Walking St.

- Wealthy Thai business clients of mine regularly brought me to Patpong, Nana, etc while I was in Bangkok, and offered trips to Walking St as well. All were quite well versed in Thailand's vice.

- Clients of mine from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries often tell me tales of their adventures in Thailand's hot spots, including Walking St.

- Walking St is regularly flooded with Chinese tour groups "just seeing the show, not spending money". Then they go back to their hotels for the night. Trust me, they are either sneaking out after hours to visit again, or dreaming of the day when they have the language skills and/or money to do just that.

- On a recent trip to a Walking St bar, there was a group of young Korean guys who were totally enthralled with the risque show they were seeing. It was more than obvious that they were having the time of their lives. They are sure to go back and intrigue many more with their stories.

- How many Thai women do you know married to Japanese, Singaporeans, Indians, Middle Easterners, Koreans, etc etc. How do you think they met? Many a match made on Walking St for sure.

[thaibeachlovers]

The swamp is the city and the corruption, not the bars etc, so they will probably never drain the swamp.

It's only the narrow minded that object to sex. I guess 2,000 years of puritanical BS by the Christian church is to blame for turning something natural into something "dirty".

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

 

Add me to the list of those who disagree with those statements. Walking St is a major destination for the Chinese, middle class Thais, and Asian tourists as far as I can see.

 

- We know quite a few middle class Thais who spend time in both the US and Thailand, and all make occasional trips to Walking St.

- Wealthy Thai business clients of mine regularly brought me to Patpong, Nana, etc while I was in Bangkok, and offered trips to Walking St as well. All were quite well versed in Thailand's vice.

- Clients of mine from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries often tell me tales of their adventures in Thailand's hot spots, including Walking St.

- Walking St is regularly flooded with Chinese tour groups "just seeing the show, not spending money". Then they go back to their hotels for the night. Trust me, they are either sneaking out after hours to visit again, or dreaming of the day when they have the language skills and/or money to do just that.

- On a recent trip to a Walking St bar, there was a group of young Korean guys who were totally enthralled with the risque show they were seeing. It was more than obvious that they were having the time of their lives. They are sure to go back and intrigue many more with their stories.

- How many Thai women do you know married to Japanese, Singaporeans, Indians, Middle Easterners, Koreans, etc etc. How do you think they met? Many a match made on Walking St for sure.

IMO far less hanky panky goes on for tourists that visit W S than in the rest of Pattaya. For starters there are way more bars outside W S than in it and most W S bars are gogos, hence very expensive.

I certainly never would have looked for a "friend for the night" on W S, though I went there most nights for the show. For me it was just a show, like the Malibu cabaret.

[Rimmer]

A slur has been removed

[morrobay]

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The swamp is the city and the corruption, not the bars etc, so they will probably never drain the swamp.

 

Right the best they should/could do is drain the sidewalks/corners and trash/garbage everywhere. Construct pedestrian overpasses.

Correct that sorry mess at the entrance to Walking st.(including that construction trailer trash ) If the city would do that the up - class arrivals will take care of themselves.

Edited March 31, 2017 by morrobay