Thai woman & foreign men charged for child sex trafficking in Pattaya

Police arrested a Thai woman and three foreign men for rape and sex trafficking teenagers aged under 15 years old in Pattaya.

Officers from Mueng Pattaya Police Station reported yesterday that the teenagers, aged between 12 and 15, were trafficked from Beer Bar in Soi Bua Khao on September 11.

According to a Police TV report, Beer Bar secretly offers sex services to its customers. The deal involves customers contacting the owner of the bar and they escort the teenagers to the customers’ hotel.

An officer posed as a customer and lured the owners of the bar into offering the child sex service and arrested the two bar owners, a 43 year old Thai woman and her 60 year old American husband, when they were trying to clinch the deal.

They were charged under Section 52 of the Anti-Trafficking in Person Act: committing an offence of trafficking a child aged over 15 years old but not yet 18 years old. They face a punishment of imprisonment from six to 12 years and a fine from 120,000 baht to 240,000 baht.

Eight teenagers, girls aged between 12 to 15 years old were rescued.

The police conducted a further investigation and arrested two more suspects who had sex with the underage girls, a 49 year old American man and a 55 year old German man.

The two foreigners were charged under Section 277 of the Criminal Law related to rape: having sexual intercourse with a girl aged over 15 years old, but less than 18 years old, who is not a wife, whether such a girl consents or not. The two face imprisonment of four to 20 years and a fine of 8,000 to 40,000 baht.

The police officers also warned bar and entertainment venue owners in Pattaya of serious punishment for allowing people aged under 20 years old to enter their premises.