Sunee Plaza Bar Owner Arrested for Selling Under-Age Sex

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in THE NATION:

_____

 

French Man Arrested for Allegedly Offering Underage Sex Service in Pattaya

 

Pattaya, Chon Buri - Police Wednesday arrested a French man for allegedly providing boys under 18 for sex services.

 

Jean Eric Lopez, 47, was arrested inside Soi Sunee Plaza in Bang Lamung district.

 

Police were alerted by officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to arrest Lopez. The FBI officials informed the Thai police that Lopez had been allegedly offering underage sex services to foreigners at his bar.

__________

 

And this, from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS:

_____

 

French Paedophile Arrested In Pattaya Selling Child Sex

 

A combined force from Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and local police in this coastal province late Tuesday night arrested a French businessman who runs many entertainment venues in the seaside resort of Pattaya on charge of sexually abusing child and providing child sex for his customers.

 

Chon-Buri, the 25th of January 2010 [TNA]: French national Jean Eric Lopez, 47, was arrested after the DSI’s Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime was informed by representatives of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Thailand and French national police based at the French Embassy in Thailand that Mr Lopez used to run entertainment venues which offered boy sex trade for hire and the accused himself had sexually abused children.

 

According to the investigation, the DSI officials found that Mr Lopez is a shareholder in several entertainment venues for homosexuals in Pattaya, which provide children aged between 12 and 20 year-old to the customers.

 

The Pattaya Court issued an arrest warrant of Mr Lopez on Tuesday and he was arrested hours later.

 

The DSI operation officials also impounded a number of gay sex CDs and condoms. The French national has been charged with taking indecent liberties with children aged under 18-years-old despite having the child’s consent.

 

The accused denied the charges and was later taken to Pattaya for further questioning.

 

(TNA)

[Bob]

If the guy was peddling underage sex, good.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Bravo for the BIB.

[Guest jomtien]

God bless them BIB indeed! Fine upstanding hard working honest public servants they are! We don't want any of them underagies compin our weenies....only the 18 year olds thank you!

[Gaybutton]

We don't want any of them underagies compin our weenies.

That's right. We don't. Guilty or not, this is the first time since Boys Studio that I can remember truly serious action taken directly against a bar owner. I think most of us are aware of the problem about under-age bar boys in Sunee Plaza. Maybe this arrest has at least a chance of sending a clear message to the bar owners who continue to employ under-age boys.

 

It's one thing when the bars get closed for a period of time. It's quite another when the owners themselves are criminally charged and can look forward to the Bangkok Hilton. The problems in Sunee Plaza won't go away until the bars stop hiring under-age boys and it ought to be perfectly obvious by now that the bar owners aren't going to stop voluntarily.

 

If you truly believe that the age of consent should be an age less than 18, then I suggest trying to do something to try getting the powers-that-be to change the current statutes. Until then it looks like bar owners may finally have to face the real possibility of serious consequences for their actions. Personally, in this day and age I don't see any reason why the age of consent shouldn't be 16 or 17 years old, but since the age is 18, hiring boys younger than that creates a lot of problems for everyone.

 

At the moment, Thailand is seriously considering legalizing prostitution. I think that is a step in the right direction. If this kind of crackdown can serve to start eliminating the under-age problem, then the reputation as a haven for pedophiles that stigmatizes all of us may start going away too.

[Guest taylorsquare]

I really dont like Sunee Plaza,I love guys over 30yo,so doesnt seem to be many there.

[Guest RichLB]

Like a minority of you on here, I don't see anything magic about the age of consent being stuck at 18 and think a lower age makes sense. BUT, until it does change, I applaud the authorities for trying to get the underaged out of the bars. I, for one, hate having to wonder if the guy is of legal age, having to check an id and wondering if it's really his, and worrying if I'm setting myself up for a sting with a boy having a fake id. I'd love to see the bars get rid of these underaged guys and eliminate the worry for those of us who don't want to run the risk of running afoul of the law.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

No matter what the legal would be (16, 14 or even 12) you would still have to worry about a boy being under the legal age. Some bars are not going to comply with the law no matter what the legal age is as long as there are guys who will take off the underage boys.

[Guest RichLB]

No matter what the legal would be (16, 14 or even 12) you would still have to worry about a boy being under the legal age. Some bars are not going to comply with the law no matter what the legal age is as long as there are guys who will take off the underage boys.

Sadly, I'm afraid you're right. I wish I could come up with a way other than police enforcement of consnt laws, but I haven't, as yet.

[bkkguy]

It's one thing when the bars get closed for a period of time. It's quite another when the owners themselves are criminally charged and can look forward to the Bangkok Hilton.

 

and how long do you seriously believe this guy is going to spend in the Bangkok Hilton? I have read of many arrests with much fanfare, but few followups that confirm said person has actually ended up a Hilton guest.

 

 

If you truly believe that the age of consent should be an age less than 18, then I suggest trying to do something to try getting the powers-that-be to change the current statutes.

 

the age of consent in Thailand is actually 15 - it is the prostitution laws that specify different penalties for prostitutes under 15, under 18 and over 18 and are rarely enforced if the prostitute is over 18

 

just because the the local police will always assume prostitution when a falung is involved does not mean that we should be misleading or vague about which laws apply!

 

bkkguy

[Gaybutton]

and how long do you seriously believe this guy is going to spend in the Bangkok Hilton?

I don't know. Who do you want me to ask?

Would you want to trade places with him?

 

just because the the local police will always assume prostitution when a falung is involved does not mean that we should be misleading or vague about which laws apply!

Ok, you've convinced me. Now convince the judge.

[Guest]

At the moment, Thailand is seriously considering legalizing prostitution. I think that is a step in the right direction. If this kind of crackdown can serve to start eliminating the under-age problem, then the reputation as a haven for pedophiles that stigmatizes all of us may start going away too.

I think that would be a good start.

 

and how long do you seriously believe this guy is going to spend in the Bangkok Hilton? I have read of many arrests with much fanfare, but few followups that confirm said person has actually ended up a Hilton guest.

bkkguy

 

I agree with you (I think) in that I doubt he'll spend that much time in the Hilton. But, this may be different as he owned so many bars and with one swoop the Thais would get rid of a Falang owner of many businesses. If their intent is to do away with underage, they won't accomplish it with this. If their attempt is to take over all the venues that are Falang owned (that may be the real case here) then I think they may just put enough fear in other owners to move on.

 

I don't know. Who do you want me to ask?

You are the man in the know GB Ask those that know.

[Guest RichLB]

the age of consent in Thailand is actually 15 - it is the prostitution laws that specify different penalties for prostitutes under 15, under 18 and over 18 and are rarely enforced if the prostitute is over 18

 

I've heard exactly the same thing on many occasions, but now I'm confused. There was a recent article in the Pattaya Times stating a Thai official was promoting the legalization of prostitution. That seems to imply the letter of the law outlaws prostitution, doesn't it? So, if a guy or girl is over 19 and offering sex for money is that illegal in Thailand or not? And what are these differences of penalties in regards to age? Does anyone know?

[Gaybutton]

You are the man in the know GB Ask those that know.

When it comes to this kind of matter, I'm not the man in the know. I'm the man in the I don't know.

 

What I think is that it will turn out that you're wrong and this guy will spend a lot of years in prison. My reasoning is this wasn't a typical Sunee Plaza raid in which the local constabulary arrests the mama-san and mama is back to work the next night. This involved investigation, the involvement of at least two international police agencies and his embassy.

 

I don't think this is going to be another 'hand over a big chunk of change to the police and see you later.' I think this guy is gone and I don't think he's going to see the light of day again until he's had a lot more birthdays.

 

What I hope is this scares the shit out of the bar owners who hire under-age boys and the buses will soon be crammed with the under-age set heading back to the rice farm for at least two or three years. What do I think the odds are that it really will happen that way? Somewhere between zero and none.

[Guest]

This involved investigation, the involvement of at least two international police agencies and his embassy.

 

Yes, I believe the FBI was mentioned. Why? What does the FBI have to do with a French national in Thailand? Is that our tax dollars at work?

[Guest jomtien]

Yes, I believe the FBI was mentioned. Why? What does the FBI have to do with a French national in Thailand? Is that our tax dollars at work?

 

 

You pay taxes?

[Guest]

You pay taxes?

 

Both mine and yours! Double taxation since we took that vacation in Massachusetts and you got me a bit wasted.

[Guest jomtien]

The solution is simple, really. They should close all bars that have things I personally don't like!

 

Bars where the music is so low you are forced to listen to the heavy breathing of old codgers on their last legs.

Bars where customers drink water and coffee. I mean, WTF?

Bars where boys are too young.

Bars where boys are too old.

Bars owned by __________. (Fill in nationality of your choice)

Bars that are too expensive for me to drink in.

Bars so cheap to drink in people like me patronize them.

Bars with no free munchies.

Bars with free munchies that attract customers too cheap to buy them.

Bars with grumpy owners.

Bars with fake friendly owners.

 

 

Hmmmm......I think that covers it.

 

I'll drink at home

[Guest Astrrro]

Lock him up and throw away the key!

 

It's obviously wrong to prostitute underage girls and boys. And also unfair to farang, who may assume that those working in bars are legal.

 

There are a few French barowners. Which bars did he operate?

[Guest jomtien]

 

 

There are a few French barowners. Which bars did he operate?

 

 

 

 

Le Petit Garcon, L'

[Gaybutton]

Yes, I believe the FBI was mentioned. Why? What does the FBI have to do with a French national in Thailand? Is that our tax dollars at work?

I also don't understand why the FBI would have been involved. Without some sort of explanation to make sense of it, that's the latest item on my "I Don't Get It" list. Until now I never knew that my tax dollar was working to help arrest citizens of one country committing crimes in another country, neither of which is the USA. Maybe the USA really does want to become the police of the entire world.

 

There must be some reason why the FBI was involved. I would like to know the reason.

[Gaybutton]

You pay taxes?

"Only little people pay taxes." - Leona Helmsley

 

I can think of many adjectives to describe GT, but 'little' wouldn't be one of them.

 

They should close all bars that have things I personally don't like!

Bars with no free munchies.

Bars with free munchies that attract customers too cheap to buy them.

Bars with grumpy owners.

Bars that have free munchies, but not the kind I like.

Bars with grumpy customers.

Bars that let me come in.

 

"I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member."

- Groucho Marx

[Up2u]

The arrest of the Frenchmen is part of coming bar crack-down that was first reported in the Pattaya Times:

 

http://pattaya-times.com/a4959-police-crackdown-nets-pattaya-foreign-sex-bar-owner

 

http://pattaya-times.com/

 

n the first night of the Pattaya police crackdown, bars were checked and arrests were made in Pattaya's Sunee Plaza, which attracts mostly a gay clientele.

 

With cooperation from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), agents from the Department of Special Investigation (SDI) with cooperation from Pattaya Police, Chonburi Immigration Bureau and the Women and Children

[Guest]

According to a spokesman from the Sunee Plaza Association which is made up of more than 30 reputable businesses in Sunee Plaza, "He [Lopez] was banned from joining the group and his bar was one of the few plaguing the reputation of Sunee which is under renovation and upgrading."

 

He added, "Our clients like to have drinks, dine and mingle for some fun and relaxation. They are as repulsed by what was going on in the bars with under aged boys as anyone would be. It needs to stop. It brings drugs, crime and a sense of desperation to the area all caused by only a handful of places."

 

Interesting. Is this the Sunee Plaza Info site?

[kokopelli]

Sounds like some sort of witch hunt and the witches are foreigners?