danish30 Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Story from Bangkok Post Prostitutes get the heave-ho before Apec But ladies of the night return immediately to haunts after being fined MANOP THIP-OSOD More than 1,000 prostitutes hanging around Sanam Luang and Khlong Lot have been rounded up in the past few months under a measure to clean the city ahead of October's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. But police say prostitutes return almost as soon as they are fined, and the measure is not working. Prostitutes, mostly women aged 20-50, continue to ply their trade at night, just as they have done there for decades. Prostitutes are fined only 100 baht for every arrest. Some are fined and arrested several times a night. Police say it is also hard to tell some prostitutes from pedestrians. Samran Rat and Phra Ratchawang police started the crackdown along Khlong Lot, near the Interior Ministry, in June. Chana Songkhram police are rounding up prostitutes around Sanam Luang. The crackdown also includes areas around public parks such as Lumphini park and in front of love motels. Pol Maj-Gen Phadet Thalawong, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau's division 6, said Samran Rat police arrested 291 prostitutes in June and 418 in July, while Phra Ratchawang police nabbed 230 prostitutes in June and 357 in July. ``I asked police stations such as Pathum Wan, Bang Rak, Samran Rat and Phra Ratchawang to send special teams to check hotels in troubled areas to pressure prostitutes to stop selling their bodies,'' he said. The prostitutes have sex with customers in small hotels. They pay 100-150 baht for hotel rooms besides sex charges which are as low as 50-150 baht for old prostitutes. However, the hotels have devised a way to escape legal action by claiming that they only open rooms for guests and are not sex-service providers. Police can only warn hotel owners not to allow prostitutes in their rooms. If they do they can have their licence revoked. A member of a police suppression team who requested anonymity said more than 10 women prostitutes were arrested, fined and blacklisted every day, but they always returned. Officers felt uncomfortable since they had other work to do and also sympathised with prostitutes who had no other way to earn a living. ``There are not only women hanging around near Sanam Luang, Khlong Lot and many public places selling their bodies but also teenage boys looking for homosexual customers, both Thais and foreigners. ``More have turned to serve women, too,'' a police officer said. Pol Maj Ekkachai Chaicharoen, Chana Songkhram police station's inspector for suppression, said it was hard for police to differentiate prostitutes from pedestrians and police could be sued for human rights violations if they accused someone falsely. Police teams worked two shifts a night _ the first shift for rounding up old faces around midnight, and the second shift for arresting women waiting alone in the area about 3am. ``We arrested more than 500 prostitutes in July. ``More than 20 people have been nabbed every day this month. ``They are freed after being fined, but they return. Some people are arrested twice in one night. They run away when they see police,'' Pol Maj Ekkachai said. The officers felt uncertain whether their crackdown on prostitutes ahead of the Apec meetings would succeed. Every night, at least 30 prostitutes aged between 20-40 wait for customers around Sanam Luang. They look better than the ones around Khlong Lot. They serve customers and charge them about 500 baht excluding hotel fees. Sometimes men and elderly women also go there looking for customers. Many prostitutes around Sanam Luang are not full-time professionals but people moonlighting as prostitutes when they need money. Prostitutes around Khlong Lot tend to serve tuk-tuk drivers and construction workers. Pol Maj Ekkachai said police still hoped to solve the problem though prostitutes had plied their trade there for years. ``We asked the prosecution and the courts about detaining prostitutes before fining them, in the hope of giving them a scare. ``We can't put them in jail pending the fining process, so police have to fine them during questioning and then release them,'' he said. A police proposal to ban prostitutes from the area at night was once rejected by a judge, who thought the move breached their human rights. Making Sanam Luang a protected zone at night would not work either, as putting up barricades would spoil the landscape. Kai (not real name), 30, who has been arrested on prostitution charges, said she sold her body to help her family pay education expenses and look after her ill father. Sanam Luang was a good place because she was too old to work in a brothel and had no money to pay pimps. She said her customers paid hotel room fees. Her main worry was the police. Several other women prostitutes in the area also gave a lack of money as their reason for doing this kind of work. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Best regards, Danish30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Just got to wonder if they ever stopped to think how counter productive it is making headlines because it brings international awareness to what they are trying to hide. The fact even these veteran crews are having trouble distinguishing normal people from prostitutes catering to locals should indicate APEC members won't have the vaguest idea (until they read these headlines of course)l. You've just got to wonder about the judgement here... TIT I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Two different parties: Who wants to hide? ......... the governement, the police. Who wants to publish? ......Journalists, newspapers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 This sort of reaction is going to get the opposite result IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 This reminds me of Cambodia. Evertime a summit was held in the country, a more or less major crack-down was done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Thailand is just like any other city that hosts a major event such as APEC , WTO, Goodwill Games, Olympics , Etc. All countries try and hide what they don't want others to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 These are recent arrests, other arrest have been made but not reported. The police have for several months been making arrest to the south and east of this area. On a different site, this was mentioned as a good place to get girls without spending much money. Shortly after that posting was made, the arrest began. I would assume that somebody is reading the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Hi, "I would assume that somebody is reading the post." You make the (wrong IMHO) assumption that we know more about where the prostitutes hang out than the police. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Hmmm, the police arrest prostitutes and fine them. The prostitutes pay the fine and then HAVE to go earn more money. It would be more effect if the police just paid the women 500 baht to go home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted August 17, 2003 Report Share Posted August 17, 2003 Says MrT: Thailand is just like any other city that hosts a major event such as APEC , WTO, Goodwill Games, Olympics , Etc. All countries try and hide what they don't want others to see. OZ..Sydney...took the ""street people"" and put them up in special accommodation..food etc. Olympics over...back on the street We did not do much re: sex industry from memory..business as usual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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