WITH an estimated 60,000 prostitutes working there, Thailand’s police have a thankless task of cleaning up the country’s Sin City.
Dubbed the “porn version of Disneyland”, Pattaya is the world’s number one sex tourist destination with hundreds of go-go bars, massage parlours and brothels.
Pattaya is the world’s number one sex tourist destination with hundreds of massage parlours and brothels Credit: Getty
But Thailand’s police are battling to overhaul the resort’s image in a bid to attract more families Credit: Getty
Many of the men on the hunt for sex in Pattaya are Brits on holiday or expats Credit: Getty
But the Tourist Police refuse to give up their never-ending battle to overhaul the resort’s image in a bid to attract more families.
This month saw the latest stage in that fight with a huge police swoop in popular tourist areas including Pattaya Beach and Beach Road.
Dozens of officers took part in the op which saw 16 foreign women arrested – mostly from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uganda.
They were found to be engaging in behaviour that violated Section 5 of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act for “contacting, soliciting, introducing themselves, or approaching individuals in public places for the purpose of prostitution”.
Twelve were issued with on-the-spot fines of 1,000 baht (£23) and all had their visas revoked.
That followed a previous sting on Valentine’s Day when undercover cops arrested more than 20 women who were prowling the streets for clients.
Despite these concerted efforts, Pattaya shows little signs of shrugging off its reputation as the world’s biggest brothel.
A short stroll through its red light district shows what a huge task still lies ahead for the authorities.
There are scores of go-go bars where women dance on stage either naked or topless and can be hired for sex by paying a ‘bar fine’ to the establishment.
Various sex acts
It can cost as low as a tenner to take one of the women back to a hotel where the client will then negotiate another price for her time.
The women are also available “long time”, meaning they spend the entire night with the client, a couple of days or even his entire holiday, never leaving his side as she pretends to be his girlfriend.
Brothels, meanwhile, are often referred to as ‘gentlemen’s clubs’ and are more discreet than other establishments such as the so-called b***job bars where there is no attempt to hide what is on offer.
Massage parlours often come with a price list for various sex acts and in certain streets, those services will be provided by ladyboys.
Many of the men on the hunt for sex in Pattaya are British, either on holiday or as ex-pats.
Although there’s been a slight drop in Brits ditching the UK for a new life in Thailand, the UK Institute for Public Policy estimates there are around 40,000 living in the country.
The red light district has scores of go-go bars where women dance on stage either naked or topless Credit: Alamy
Bar girls holding signs to get customers along the Walking Street in Pattaya Credit: Getty
Many are older, single men with money in their pocket and after a lifetime working back home are now enjoying their idea of a dream retirement in Sin City.
Former car worker Stephen Webster, 53, said: “I was a single man living a pretty sad life on my own in south Wales and I started to look around me.
On my next visit I met a girl and fell in love and we married ten years ago. Thailand is more relaxed and less stressful than the UK
Graham Baldwin
“I was surrounded by middle aged blokes like me who were doing anything to keep their nagging wives happy and watching the cost of living rise by the day.
“The weather is miserable, everybody is skint and what was I supposed to do if I wanted a partner?
“Instead I went to visit Thailand for a while and once I saw the lifestyle in Pattaya there was no going back.”
But it’s not just sex that British men travel to Thailand for – some of them also find love.
Retired builder Graham Baldwin, 66, Watton, Norfolk, is happily married to a Thai woman after moving there permanently following a post-divorce holiday.
He said: “During my first visit I went to bars in Bangkok and had a good time.
Drugged and robbed
“It was a great place and quickly became my favourite holiday destination.
“On my next visit I met a girl and fell in love and we married ten years ago. Thailand is more relaxed and less stressful than the UK and is much cheaper.”
But not all encounters with Pattaya’s famous bar girls go smoothly.
A tourist recently went to the police to report that he had been drugged and robbed by two women he took back to his hotel room.
The 30-year-old said he had been drinking at a bar when he invited the two Thai women back to his hotel room to “hang out and relax”.
Shortly after he felt drowsy and passed out. When he came round the women were gone along with 5,000 baht (£1,150) in cash and his Rolex watch, valued at around 700,000 baht (£16,000).
We have so much temptation at our fingertips but it is very easy to get carried away
Brit Trevor Knight, who documents life in Pattaya
And tragically, there is a Pattaya Flying Club, the sickening name given to the number of foreigners who take their own lives by plunging from balconies.
Quentin Griffith, 58, co-founder of online retailer ASOS, was the latest Brit to acquire ‘membership’ of this grim club when he fell to his death from his 17th floor balcony in February.
Many older, single men with money are now enjoying their idea of a dream retirement in Sin City Credit: Getty
His ex-wife Ploy, 43, later told The Jattvibe how their dream life fell apart when he fell for Pattaya’s ‘charms’, blowing £1,000 a night on champagne-fuelled parties with bar girls.
They split and became locked in a series of bitter court cases with Quentin eventually facing jail after being convicted of a £500,000 fraud in relation to their marital home.
The suicide rate among foreigners who move to Pattaya is five times the national average.
Many are Brits whose money has run out or whose heart has been broken by a much younger bar girl.
Brit Trevor Knight, who documents life in Pattaya on his Buzzin’ Pattaya YouTube channel, said: “Many people come out here, particularly men, with great expectations that they will be living the dream.
“We have so much temptation at our fingertips but it is very easy to get carried away.
“When your dreams are shattered and your heart is broken, desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Back on the streets of Sin City the police continue their efforts to crackdown on the prostitution trade and those estimated 60,000 sex workers based in Pattaya.
But with the number of single men heading to the city each year showing no sign of slowing down, they have their work cut out.
There are an estimated 60,000 sex workers based in Pattaya Credit: Alamy
