Tourists or illegal workers? Police raid Pattaya host club and arrest six

Police raided a host club in Pattaya in the early hours of yesterday morning and arrested the manager and five Lao men following a complaint about the employment of illegal workers. Four of the accused Lao men denied they were working at the bar and insisted that they were tourists.

Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station raided the host club, Laon Club Pattaya in Soi Kor Phai 4, at 2am yesterday. Upon entering the premises, officers discovered that the club was still in operation, with 20 Thai visitors present and enjoying music and drinks, despite the club’s supposed closure time of midnight.

The officers also encountered five Lao men, all dressed as club entertainers, during the raid. However, only one of them admitted to working illegally, while the remaining four insisted that they were tourists, despite lacking the necessary documentation.

The police arrested all five Lao men and the Thai club manager and took them to the police station for further questioning. The charges against the group have not been reported yet, but the police promised to take legal action against them in accordance with the law.

According to the police report, the Lao men were responsible for taking care of the club visitors, mixing drinks, and entertaining customers. There was no evidence of sex services being provided at the establishment.

Mueang Pattaya Police Station successively conducted raids at several bars in the city to crack down on the human trafficking gang, illegal sex services, and illegal workers. On Friday, officers investigated Flirt Bar located on Pattaya Soi 6 and arrested a British man and a Thai woman on charges of human trafficking.

Last month, two women who were taking care of a go-go bar, Club 4, in Soi Bong Koch 8 were arrested for underage prostitution after offering a young woman to a foreign police spy. The real owner of the bar and other relevant persons are still under investigation.