Sex cruise&’ raid is a bust
PHUKET TOWN: A high-profile raid today on the offices of tour cruise operator Lifestyle in Asia Co Ltd turned up no evidence to support a connection between the company and a web site promoting exclusive sex tours in Phuket. The intention of the raid was to turn up evidence that Lifestyle in Asia was running cruises advertised at the web site https://www.loveboatcruises.net , which offers boat cruise packages that include “full service PR companions”. Officers organized the raid after noting that the contact phone number posted on the website was the same as that for the office of Lifestyle in Asia. Led by Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi, Anupharb Thirarath, Director of the TAT Phuket office, and Pol Maj Supamit Sukjaroen, Inspector of the Phuket Tourist Police, officers arrived at the company’s office to be met by Lifestyle in Asia secretary K. Kob and a cook, both of whom denied any knowledge of the tours. “I’m just an employee,” said K. Kob. “I don’t know of [this], nor have I seen any girls come to the office.” The cook, who worked on the company’s boats, told the assembled throng of about 20 officers and reporters that she had never seen any misdeeds aboard the boats. Searching the office, police found two photo albums containing pictures of Thai movie stars and models in bikinis. Each photo was labeled with a name and a four-digit code. K. Kob told the officers that she had never seen the photo albums before. Maj Supamit said that police were having difficulties investigating the case because “the company was alerted to the police investigation and temporarily stopped offering the tours.” Governor Pongpayome said, “There will be further investigation into this case because it is believed the [company’s] boats have not been registered for commercial use, in order to avoid paying taxes.” Repeated attempts by the Gazette to contact Lifestyle in Asia Managing Director William Anthony Ranauro, a 56-year-old American-born Thai national, have been unsuccessful. K. Kob said that Mr Ranauro is currently in Bangkok on business and that his mobile phone is out of order.
