Pattaya police arrested 39 African women early this morning as a part of the prostitution crackdown and attempt to improve the image of Thailand’s sin city.
Too little, too late?
The women, who police said are from Uganda and Madagascar, were nabbed from the notorious Walking Street at 3am today. Police claimed they had been watching the women and discovered they were sex workers, according to Sanook.
The foreigners entered Thailand with tourist visas and allegedly joined the sex trade in Pattaya, and therefore, “damage the reputation of the Pattaya,” police said.
Six transgender Thai women were also arrested in today’s sex worker sweep.
Known for its culture of drinking and debauchery, the Thai authorities have been scrambling to improve Pattaya’s image, following a Feb. 16 report on Mirror Online, which published photos of scantily clad go-go dancers at the Walking Street.
Despite this morning’s arrests, Pattaya Police Chief Pol. Lt. Col. Apichai Krobpetch denied that Pattaya is the “World’s Sex Capital,” MThai reported.
The Thai suspects were fined and released, while the arrested African women will be blacklisted from re-entering Thailand.
Recently, a government-owned tourism organization said it wanted to reinvent Pattaya as a seaside city for family getaways.
