Tourist police crack down on women AND transgenders on Pattaya's Beach Road

Following attempts to crack down on ladyboys offering sex on Pattaya's Beach Road last week the authorities have now targeted ALL sex workers.

Channel 7 and other Thai media outlets reported action by the Tourist Police against both women and ladyboys or transgenders.

Last week everyone fled the scene because the cops were in uniform.

Now most of the cops were in plain clothes in the operation that began at 9pm.

But videos showed that the sex workers were still getting wise to the crackdown with many running away from officers across the road or onto the beach.

Phaisan Rattanabanterng, a reporter, joined the crackdown and reported speaking to one sex worker who said they had many mouths to feed.

And they could make thousands of baht in a night.

The customers were nearly all foreigners.

Fines were no deterrent, went the report, with 80% of those targeted having a record of prostitution.

All this was to "restore Pattaya's image", the rhetoric continued.

Twenty nine arrests were made with court appearances and 1,000 baht fines in the offing.

ASEAN NOW notes that if we had a hot dinner for all the completely ineffective crackdowns on sex workers on Beach Road over the years all the news team would be severely overweight.

The moves can be seen in the light of the authorities - with the connivance of the invited Thai press - appearing to do something about the visible sex industry on the streets ahead of the high tourist season.

The sex workers will undoubtedly be back tonight - albeit with a watchful eye for the authorities who might spoil their night.

Source - Asean Now 

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#Thailand - Taxis biggest problem for tourist police

Taxi problems were the biggest issue for tourist police last year among thousands of arrests, the Tourist Police Bureau said on Wednesday. 

Tourist and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said that from January to October last year, tourist police cracked down on thousands of crimes ranging from overcharging taxis, to illegal entertainment venues.

Last year tourist police beefed up crackdowns on unruly taxis and unlawful tour guides. He said in 2018, police arrested 12,679 taxi drivers - including over 5,668 drivers who refused to pick up passengers, 3,408 drivers who refuse to use meters, and 1,659 drivers who overcharged - up from 1,681, 255, and 120 driver arrests during the same period a year earlier.

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 Police also arrested 1,581 unauthorised tour guides, and 390 so-called “sitting guides”, who use their licenses to accompany an unauthorised guide who can speak foreign languages. The number was up from 132 and nine guides arrested in 2017.

Tourist police also arrested 6,333 low-quality tour operators, 26 vendors who offered overpriced products to tourists, and raided 35 illegal entertainment venues. They also found 1,406 cases of illicit drugs at tourist venues and there were also 161 cases of “influential people” carrying firearms in tourist areas and 9,533 cases where tourists were affected.

Source TheNation

Thai Police announce all Nigerians in #Thailand will be investigated

Bangkok - Police on Friday said they will target ALL Nigerians in Thailand for investigation in a move a top UN human rights official warns could amount to illegal and discriminatory policing.

Tourist Police chief Maj. Gen. Surachet Hakpal made the announcement while displaying people rounded up in the latest mass arrests of 72 foreign nationals from 75 locations nationwide, including Khaosan Road. He said arrests were also made at 18 schools where the foreign nationals were working without work permits.

Eleven foreigners were arrested for overstaying their visas, 46 for illegal entry and 15 for petty crimes. Among them were Russians, Indians, Laotians, Ugandans and Nigerians.

Surachet said the campaign has seen more than 2,000 foreigners permanently banned from entering Thailand.

“This doesn’t mean all Nigerians are bad people,” he said. “Our crackdown so far is to separate the bad guys from the good ones.”

He said the roughly 1,400 Nigerians currently residing in Thailand and recorded by Immigration  will be investigated next week and questioned about their income to prevent further crimes committed by foreigners.

A member of the National Human Rights Commission associated with the UN warned that indiscriminately investigating all Nigerians without evidence of wrongdoing or probable cause could be against the law and is discriminating against Nigerian citizens.

“They should not randomly investigate people just because they’re Nigerians, because it will become a discrimination against their race.” Angkhana Neelaphaijit said, adding that those arrested have the right to legal defense and to file a complaint if their rights have been violated.

Online commentators and individuals responded quickly to the remarks stating that Nigerians are not a race and are a nationality and when the vast majority of foreigners arrested for overstay and crimes since Operation X Ray began were Nigerian it should be permissible to check on every one residing in the country. Those residing legally, not on overstay and with proper permits if working should be allowed to stay the commentators said.

Source - ThePattayaNews