Pattaya Police and Social Workers Detain 25 People in Anti-Prostitution Crackdown Ahead of U.S. Navy Visit

On the night of August 29, in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, the police, together with employees of the Social Welfare Development Department, conducted a major operation to identify cases of street prostitution in the coastal area and public places of the city. During the raid, law enforcement agencies detained 25 people who were suspected of engaging in prostitution in public places and violations related to the operation of such services.

The operation was organized by more than 20 officers, including the Pattaya City Police, Patrol Police, Tourist Police, Immigration Police and representatives of the Chonburi Provincial Office for Social Development and Human Security. The raid covered the beach area of Pattaya, the Second Road and other vulnerable points that are usually visited by tourists and locals.

According to official reports, of the 25 people detained, 18 are Thai nationals, 5 are Laotian nationals and 2 are Ugandan nationals. The deputy chief of the Pattaya Patrol Police (referred to in sources as Pt.t.t.

Siriuwat Kachamart) said that such visits are carried out regularly and are aimed at maintaining order, the safety of residents and tourists, as well as preventing the exploitation and involvement of children and vulnerable groups. According to him, the sweep actions will be carried out with increased frequency and intensity, especially in key areas along the coast and in tourist areas.

The reason for the increased patrols and the series of raids during this period is the impending arrival of a large US military contingent: about 5,000 US Navy troops from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which was supposed to anchor in the port of Laem Chabang in the first days of September. According to Thai PBS and other local publications, the inspection was aimed not only at detaining persons who provided sexual services in public places, but also at suppressing possible cases of begging, involvement of minors and illegal business activities on tourist streets.

Law enforcement officers involved in the raid searched crowded places, interviewed detainees and drew up administrative protocols against those who, according to them, violated local public order rules. The specific legal statuses of the charges, possible fines or further procedures for each of the detainees were not detailed in the public statements: press releases and reports were limited to the number of detainees, their alleged nationalities and the purpose of the raid.

The materials emphasize that the clean-up operations will continue and will be repeated in order to prevent repeated violations. Next steps: According to the publication, the detainees were transferred to the police station for further processing and investigation; local authorities announced their intention to continue raids and regular checks in public places along the Pattaya coast.

Specific trials, hearing dates, or the decision in each case were not specified in public sources at the time of publication.