Decriminalise prostitution, editorial urges

[reader]

An editorial in The Nation, titled "Can Pattaya really 'drain the swamp'?", concludes with the following paragraph:

 

"On the other hand, how about just getting serious and accept that prostitution is here to stay? Rather than parading around in fish costumes, let “Fun City” have its fun, but be civilised about it: Decriminalise the flesh trade, register the sex workers, and give them the healthcare, protection and social security they are due."

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/today_editorial/30310604

[Guest]

2 consenting adults should be able to have sex on whatever financial basis suits them.  The state has no business interfering in that, since it's a freedom of choice issue.   . 

[Vessey]

Decriminalisation would lead to a severe loss of 'tea-money' to too many and for that reason alone seems highly unlikely.

 

Anyhow if the authorities are serious about attracting more family holidaymakers to Pattaya, it isn't the bars and freelancers they need to clean up its their beach!  Their beaches are filthy and their seas polluted by their own drains and sewage.

[Guest abang1961]

Pattaya never fails to amaze me with its eccentric rate of development and decay.

The construction of this place tells me that the Thais are NOT very good in urban planning.

 

Two of the basic needs is fresh water supply and waste water management.

Most, if not all, of us would rather DIE than to drink tap water directly (something you should try in Singapore, it is SAFE here).

Of course with every input, there is always output but where is the sewerage plant in that Pattaya-Rayong region?

I doubt Bangkok has a proper sewerage system too!

 

Back to decriminalising the sex trade...  I never knew it was illegal.. 

I have always assume that with so many bars and clubs mushrooming throughout Thailand, it has always been a NORM to have them around.  I support the notion that it should remove all obstacles.  Not trying to be xenophobic here, perhaps they should set a rule to have bars that solely employ Thai boys/men only and bars for non-Thai boys/men.  This way, there would be less confusion for the bar owners and we, as paying clients, get a clear idea what is installed for us.  Less trouble for paying clients too is the fact that the Thais should present their ID cards while the "foreign" boys should possess a valid passport or travel document upon bringing them back to our hotels.  

[vinapu]

  Not trying to be xenophobic here, perhaps they should set a rule to have bars that solely employ Thai boys/men only and bars for non-Thai boys/men.  

you did not sleep well last night , did you?

 

what would be next? bars for Asian customers only, others for local Thai and permanent residents and still others for visiting farangs ?

[Guest abang1961]

Vin

I am writing my final post before taking a break.

I mean the boys in the bar could be segregated according to their nationality/nationalities.

 

So if you go to a non-Thai boys' bar, expect the unexpected.

He may not be carrying proper travel documents.

 

Bye...

[Alexx]

There cannot be an official/legal "non-Thai" bar (in Thailand), simply because a foreigner cannot get a work permit for that kind of work. It neither falls under the migrant worker scheme that typically covers laborers from countries in the neighborhood nor could they hope to get a regular work permit that is open​ to all nationalities.

 

Running such a bar would be tantamount to wearing a shirt saying, "Please raid and fine me, I've got plenty.".

[vinapu]

 

He may not be carrying proper travel documents.

 

 

as long as he would have tasty cock and bubbly butt, he has passport to my room and a bed 

[Guest ryanasia]

I am afraid they wouldn't get the bribes. You would have to legitamize the police force before you can decide which laws to enforce or ignore.

[reader]

Excerpted from Khaosod English

Sex workers and activists scored a victory Thursday when the national police released new protocols banning sexual intercourse during sting operations, parading sex workers in front of the press, and allowing reporters inside raided venues. Also banned are stamps on the passports of foreign sex workers specifying that they were arrested for prostitution. The reforms came after years of repeated complaints and demands by advocacy groups and the National Human Rights Commission.

Emboldened by new police protocols mandating more humane treatment of sex workers during arrests, activists on Thursday announced their next goal – decriminalizing sex work.

Prostitution is illegal under the 1996 Anti-Prostitution Act, though it’s rare for sex workers to be sentenced to the maximum one-month prison term stipulated under the law. Instead, the red-light industry thrives in a grey area, regulated more consistently by mainstream morality which shames sex work and corrupt officials who extort protection money.

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2019/08/10/opinion-the-double-denial-of-sex-work-in-thailand/

[vinapu]

 I like this sentence ending an article you gave us link to " Many would rather not face the truth. Many would rather let sex workers suffer silently when exploited by an underground industry, so that Thais can continue to smile. ",  how true !