According to media reports the Chonburi police operating in Pattaya have arrested “over 20” people in connection with recent sweeps. At present it is thought that police patrolled along Beach Road and arrested many freelancers there, mostly foreigners. Reports have suggested as much:

Police said that the arrested women and transgenders included Thais and nationals from Uganda and Madagascar. They were suspected of offering sex service to foreign tourists.

interesting stuff. Most likely the foreign nationals were in Thailand illegally anyway so deportation would have been the outcome eventually, just a matter of time and their luck running out. It is also possible that they were victims of trafficking since we know from Amnesty that this happens in South East Asia, although more commonly in the seafood processing industry.

According to social media, they were only fined 100-200 baht before being allowed to go on their way. The important thing was for pictures to be circulated in foreign media, so that the police are visibly seen to be doing something about the problem. Have a look at the video on youtube here:



As one facebook user said it looks like Africa more than Asia.

International media such as n ews.com.au are covering the crackdown now and it is highly possible that this is the driving force behind increasing police actions. In a country where “face” matters a lot, the negative publicity is a kick in the pants for Chonburi police who usually can get away with looking the other way. News.com.au even ran a suggestive photo of a woman being arrested while in the middle of performing in a hot tub. I wonder what the photographer was doing there? also love that the guys gathered around have still got their eyes glued on her. They don’t look like foreigners to me.

All of this just because a British tabloid reported decided it had been a while since someone went on a “research trip” to Pattaya. In any case the day after the big story hit the news, the police launched a new campaign, making it clear what the true motivations are.

The publicity campaign is part of the “Happy Zone” programme initiated by Pol Maj-Gen Somprasong Yentuam, commander of Chon Buri police.

The campaign is aimed at fixing Pattaya’s “sex tainted” image. Good luck with that!! you would need a PR firm, not the police I think.

I have been in Pattaya many times when the police have started a “crackdown”. It is always the same line about cleaning it up for good but it never lasts. Most veterans of the Pattaya scene would tell you the same thing and can remember this being a yearly occurance or even more frequently, every few months something happens like a news story or a directive from higher ups to get out and be seen on the beat. Personally I am not worried as the police and authorities rely heavily on foreign tourists coming to Pattaya for their supplemental income stream, and of course all the legitimate hotel and bar businesses that make up an influential lobby in Pattaya.