Bangkok arrests 16 foreign women over alleged prostitution
A late-night prostitution crackdown in Bangkok led to 16 arrests on March 20 after complaints on social media alleged a group of foreign women were approaching visitors to offer sexual services on Sukhumvit Soi 4.
The joint operation took place at about 8.30 pm in Khlong Toei district. Officers from Lumpini Police Station worked alongside officials from the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, as well as Immigration Bureau Division 1.
Officers conducted surveillance in the area and then intervened to search and arrest those suspected of offering sex services to tourists.
A total of 16 people were arrested, consisting of 10 Tanzanian nationals, five Kenyan nationals and one Vietnamese national, reported CH7 News.
They were charged under Section 5 of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act 1996 for allegedly approaching or persistently contacting people in public places to offer sexual services in a way considered improper or a public nuisance.
Officials from the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development issued fines under an administrative penalty process before the suspects were handed to Immigration Bureau Division 1.
Immigration officers were expected to proceed with revocation of permission to stay in Thailand and deportation under Section 12(8) of the Immigration Act 1979. All 16 were transferred to the Immigration Bureau office in Suan Phlu for further proceedings.
Elsewhere, tourist Police and Immigration Police conducted a joint operation along Pattaya Beach aimed at tackling suspected prostitution. The operation resulted in 20 people being detained, most of them foreign women.
Police said undercover officers, posing as tourists, observed individuals on the Pattaya Beach sidewalks. The women were accused of approaching foreign visitors, starting conversations, negotiating prices and inviting them to sexual encounters.
All of those detained initially denied the allegations. Officers then checked identity documents, recorded personal details and took statements as part of an ongoing investigation.
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