6 Vietnamese and Uzbek women arrested in Bangkok prostitution crackdown
Police arrested six foreign women for prostitution in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok on May 7 following complaints from residents and the circulation of videos on Thai social media.
The arrests took place in Soi Sukhumvit 4 after officers launched an investigation into suspected prostitution activities in the neighbourhood. According to reports, several residents complained that groups of foreign women were soliciting clients in public areas and negatively affecting the area’s image among tourists.
During the operation, police observed a group of foreign women standing along the roadside and allegedly approaching passersby, particularly foreign men, to promote sex services. Officers arrested six women at the scene, including five Vietnamese nationals and one Uzbek national.
The women were charged under Section 5 of Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act for allegedly contacting, inviting, introducing themselves to, or following people in public places for prostitution purposes. The offence carries a penalty of a fine of up to 1,000 baht.
Police did not state whether immigration authorities would pursue deportation proceedings against the women following the arrests.
The latest operation follows several similar crackdowns targeting foreign sex workers in Bangkok and other tourist destinations across Thailand in recent months.
In March, police conducted another operation in the same Sukhumvit area and arrested 16 foreign women accused of operating prostitution services. The group included 10 Tanzanian nationals, five Kenyan nationals, and one Vietnamese national.
Authorities have also carried out multiple prostitution-related crackdowns in Pattaya. One of the latest operations took place in April, when police arrested 16 foreign women on Pattaya Beach for allegedly offering sex services. The group reportedly included nationals from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Uganda.
In another case reported in February, police arrested 20 foreign women, most of them from African countries, during a prostitution crackdown in Pattaya. Although the women denied the allegations, police reportedly confiscated condoms and lubricating gel during the operation.
Elsewhere in Thailand, two Ugandan women were arrested in Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province in March over alleged prostitution offences.
In the same month, police in Kanchanaburi arrested two Myanmar nationals on charges related to prostitution and human trafficking after they were accused of arranging sex services involving underage migrants from Myanmar.
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