Karaoke bar owners jailed for exploiting minors in Sisaket

The Criminal Court of Thailand sentenced two karaoke bar owners to 11 years and 14 months in prison for sexually exploiting minors. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) received a tip-off from the non-profit organisation Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), which supports law enforcement in rescuing children from human trafficking and exploitation. The information revealed the presence of an X (Twitter) account suspected of involving minors in sexual exploitation.

Investigations linked the victims from the Twitter account to employees of two karaoke establishments, My Way Oke, and Sole Oke, located in Kantharalak district, Sisaket province. This activity was deemed potentially in violation of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2008.

The Human Trafficking Case Division designated the situation as special case number 292/2022. Police arrested two suspects, 53 year old Yupa and 31 year old Pranee, at the My Way Oke karaoke bar in Kantharalak on August 8 last year.

Special case investigators conducted a thorough examination and presented their findings to the public prosecutor, who decided to press charges against the suspects. The prosecutor filed the case with the Criminal Court on September 28, 2023, under case number 137/2023.

The court, in case number 97/2024, found both individuals guilty of violating multiple laws, including the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2008, the Prostitution Prevention and Suppression Act of 1996, the Entertainment Place Act of 1966, the Child Protection Act of 2003, and the Labour Protection Act of 1998.

The Criminal Court sentenced both defendants to 11 years and 14 months in prison. Additionally, they were ordered to jointly pay 80,000 baht in compensation to the victims, reported KhaoSod.

In related news, police raided a well-known karaoke and traditional massage parlour in Bangkok on July 1, uncovering an illicit prostitution ring involving Thai and Laotian women. The establishment had over 10 rooms converted for illegal activities, and the owner confessed to the charges.

In other news, police in Udon Thani raided a popular karaoke bar, uncovering a human trafficking operation involving underage girls. The raid, which took place at 10pm, on June 20, revealed a ledger containing customer names and a significant number of unused condoms.