Pattaya police crackdown on beachside sex trade, detaining 20 foreign women, half from Africa, in a morning swoop. Visa revocations and deportations follow as authorities ramp up efforts to rebrand the city as family-friendly amid the resort’s persistent sex tourism reputation.
Police in Pattaya swooped in the early hours of Friday morning on streetwalkers offering sexual services along the city’s main beach promenade. Twenty foreign women, half of them from Africa, were detained. Later, police revealed that the women’s visas were being revoked and that they were to be deported from Thailand. The move comes as the resort city’s reputation as a sex tourism destination persists despite efforts to rebrand the city as a family-friendly destination. Police and local authority officials are warning of further action.
Tourist police in Pattaya have announced efforts to clean up the city’s “sex for sale” image. This included a sweep by police along the city’s beach in the early hours of Friday morning.
The December 27th operation saw 20 foreign prostitutes taken into custody in the police dragnet.
Significantly, the operation follows a sharp rise in the number of independent streetwalkers in the city over the last six months. Pattaya City Police Station has been inundated with complaints relating to sex workers loitering along a route frequented by foreign tourists.
Pattaya police step up crackdown on sex industry to address complaints from tourists and local residents
Certainly, police in the city, famous for its prostitution industry, heralded the move as a crackdown.
Despite being highlighted in tourism awards, Pattaya remains one of the world’s top “sex for sale” destinations. Certainly, the pandemic shutdown from 2020-2022 dented any effort to widen the city’s appeal.
The recovery of the city’s foreign tourism prospects initially relied heavily on its nightlife and entertainment sector. At the same time, by and large, this remains a front for prostitution. For instance, many bars offer a bar fine system where bar girls or hostesses can be rented out for “short” or “long times.”
In turn, this has led to Pattaya recapturing its foreign tourism trade. Nonetheless, in recent years, the city has additionally become a magnet for prostitutes from around the world, in particular, because of easier visa access to African and Central Asian countries.
Foreign women dominate arrests as police uncover global influx into Pattaya’s prostitution industry
Certainly, this can be seen in the profile of the sex workers arrested by police on Friday morning. Twenty women were brought in for processing at Pattaya City Police Station. They ranged in age from 26-51 years.
Nine were from Uganda in East Africa, while eight were Uzbek nationals. The group also included two women from Madagascar and one from Rwanda.
“This operation is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the image of Pattaya’s tourist areas. Especially as we approach the New Year holiday season,” explained a police spokesman from Pattaya’s Tourist Police.
Indeed, hotel owners and tourist organizations point to new amenities in the city and regularly outline plans to widen its appeal. In particular, tourism groups speak of creating a more family-oriented destination.
Negative coverage and rising prostitution challenge Pattaya’s attempts at family-friendly rebranding
In the meantime, tabloid coverage of the city in the world’s media continues to propagate its “sex for sale” image. These include regular news reports of misadventures involving tourists in Pattaya. At the same time, a number of undercover documentaries by foreign television channels continue to expose the city’s darker secrets.
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On Friday morning, officials with the Social Development and Human Security Ministry were on hand to assist the twenty detained women. At the same time, Chonburi Immigration Bureau officials began the task of revoking their visas.
Meanwhile, authorities in Pattaya are determined to rein in the city’s red light activities. In particular, the proliferation of sex workers in the city’s famous beach area after dark. Police have promised further action in the year ahead.
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Further reading:
Same-sex marriage law passed by lower house. Next comes a law to legalise prostitution in Thailand
Full steam ahead on LGBTQ rights in Thailand, new gender identity law ordered by the PM at cabinet
Gay and LGBT people in Thailand on the verge of same sex partnership era with progressive reforms
Underworld surrogacy trade exposed, man arrested for smuggling semen from Thailand into Laos
