Pattaya Beach Road Subject to Prostitution Purge by Police

[benny31]

It's a joke?

 

Pattaya Beach Road Subject to Prostitution Purge by Police

 

Local police on Monday night moved to purge Pattaya’s notorious Beach Road area of problematic ‘freelance’ prostitutes and lady-boys, according to an official release.

 

Pattaya, the 11th of October 2010 [PDN]: At approximately midnight on Monday, Colonel Nunthawut Suwanla-ong (Pattaya Police Superintendent) along with a team of officers conducted an inspection of the Pattaya Beach Road promenade.

 

The inspection was undertaken after numerous reports and complaints were received by local authorities regarding the prevalence of ‘freelance’ prostitutes and lady-boys in the area. Many of these complaints pertained to tourists and locals being bothered, hassled and even robbed by the aforementioned groups, while walking the promenade during the evening.

 

In the inspection of the area, officers were able to detain and arrest some 50 offenders, both female prostitutes and lady-boys, who had gathered between North and South Pattaya. Reports indicate that many more of the loitering prostitutes managed to flee the scene upon being informed of the arrests.

 

 

Background, drug and criminal checks will now be performed on all of the 50 arrested offenders in an attempt to apprehend those who may be involved in further criminal acts.

 

Editor’s note: This is not the first time Pattaya police have attempted a purge on the Beach Road ‘freelancers’, it seems to be at least a biannual inspection. Most offenders end up being released with a Bt500 fine without so much as a mark against their names.

 

Unfortunately, the nature of the ‘game’ means that by taking Bt500 of these relatively desperate working women/lady-boys they inherently return to the very same act as before, in an even more desperate state.

 

However, the local authorities achieve quantifiable results in performing such inspections, with Bt25,000+ into the proceeds of crime ‘column’ to impress their superiors.

 

If authorities are determined to purge ‘freelance’ prostitution from public areas such as Beach Road, thereby confining the already illegal business to the local bars and/or Walking Street, simply arresting all the offenders is not an appropriate course of action.

 

Even prison sentences will not help the matter, largely for the desperation reasons already established, but also the Thai prison system is already notoriously overcrowded and not sufficient to house hundreds more relatively minor offenders.

 

Targeting the customers that use these women/lady-boys however would achieve marked results in a relatively short period. Eventually customers, foreign or otherwise, will not take the risk of interacting with the ‘freelancers,’ providing the fine/punishment is significant; therefore, the business is stifled in the public arenas and confined largely to the local bars and clubs.

 

 

Pattaya Daily News link

[benny31]

Video

Pattaya Beach Road Subject to Prostitution Purge by Police

 

กวาดล้าง หญิงแท้-เทียมเร่ขายบริการ

Women Clearance Authenticity - artificial hawk service.(Google translation)

 

 

[PandaBear]

I was just out there this morning. Looked like there all back already.