Appalled by Patpong tout

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Published: 14 Feb 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

According to a New York Post internet article of Feb 6, a Thai official demanded YouTube remove a Saturday Night Live skit, in which an advertisement for Rosetta Stone language CDs spoofed Thailand's sex industry. Perhaps the Thai government should rethink its response.

Free-and-easy sex between consenting adults is fine, and, in my opinion, isn't open to criticism. The key phrase here is ''consenting adults'', and that, I think, is where there's a problem that the government is ignoring.

We live near Patpong. Every time I walk near Patpong itself, I'm approached by touts offering men and women for sex, directing me to sex shows, etc. I'm not bothered by that, provided they're not too persistent. Several days ago, however, something happened that gave me pause and triggered this letter.

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egon
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Discussion 9 : 16 Feb 2013 at 10.029
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Disc 8:I forgot to mention this.Are the "don,t likes" that prejudiced that they cann,t stand the facts and Thailand has to be pushed into this corner?Wake up and look at your own ,worse,countries.
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hey-you
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Discussion 8 : 16 Feb 2013 at 07.258
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Take the advice of a PatPong tout and you will end up in a bar owned by the police, will be intimidated, held captive and forced to pay thousands of baht for a single drink.
Been going on for more that 20 years.
Nothing will change since law enforcement is run by crooks.
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cadcolin
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Discussion 7 : 14 Feb 2013 at 14.187
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Thomas
I am not surprised from the outside Thailand has the reputation of cheap sex for the person willing to pay which the government and TAT have still yet to combat this perception so it’s only a short step from there to child prostitution

Rather than huffing and puffing demanding someone to take down a video why don’t the government actually do something about this problem?
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egon
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Discussion 6 : 14 Feb 2013 at 11.316
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Strange.In the last 30 years many were the times I visited Patpong or Pattaya.As a tourleader I had to know my way around quite well.Never I was confronted by an offer for sex with children or was told where one could find this absolutely unacceptable practise.As your thai is not fluent are you really sure about this offer?Moreover child prostitution exists in every country and in my opinion Thailand is not in the top fifty.
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Renaissance
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Discussion 5 : 14 Feb 2013 at 11.065
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Thomas: You would have wasted your time calling the Police. Every bar, night club, and tout pays the Police to operate. The sex and pedophile industry could be shut down easily, but it's a hugely profitable industry for the Police who in turn pay the politicians and their power brokers. The following question continues to be relevant: "Does Thailand need the politicians?"
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jck
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Discussion 4 : 14 Feb 2013 at 10.514
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BP should initiate an undercover investigation into the appalling sex trade involving children and publish an expose in Spectrum with specific findings why the police do nothing to stop it. The vile business of paedophilia needs maximum publicity if it is to be eliminated or even reduced in Thailand and the police need to be shamed for ignoring it.
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dao
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Discussion 3 : 14 Feb 2013 at 09.113
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Sex tourism could be shut down in a heart beat but that would involve acknowledging that it exists .That part might be harder .
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Eggmeng
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Discussion 2 : 14 Feb 2013 at 08.032
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@ Thomas Giesen

Thailand has laws against this, but enforcing them would require an undercover sting operation. The police are perfectly capable of this, and if there was political capital for the boss to be made, or if it fit in with their current business model, they would do it.

It's time more, not less of this stuff was shown to the world. Get it on your phone, put it on YouTube. Our new governor will need all the help he can get to clean up Bangkok.
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kena
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Discussion 1 : 14 Feb 2013 at 07.061
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The loud noise problem throughout Thailand is like the jetski extortion problem; Thais think it's just a farang hang-up, hence nothing will be done to lessen it.
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Appalled by Patpong tout | Bangkok Post: opinion