Authorities in Thailand have arrested eight Lao girls, seven of whom entered the nation illegally to work as prostitutes, and one who labored as their madam, Radio Free Asia has realized.
In response to the Anti-Trafficking in Individual Unit of the Thai Division of Particular Investigation, the seven girls had been aged 21 to 36, they usually had been arrested at a karaoke bar in Bang Pakong district within the southern province of Chachoengsao. The eighth girl is the spouse of the bar’s proprietor.
A police officer in Bang Pakong district confirmed Monday that the seven girls, who had been arrested on April 4, are nonetheless in custody and are awaiting trial and shall be deported to Laos later.
The intercourse commerce is technically unlawful in Thailand, however legal guidelines in opposition to it are not often enforced. Authorities do, nevertheless, extra strictly implement immigration legal guidelines.
“Often, folks from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are allowed to work in Thailand in solely sure forms of work like building, however not in leisure venues or karaoke bars,” Col. Pattanapong Sripinproh of the Anti-Trafficking in Individuals Unit informed RFA Lao.
“They aren’t allowed to work as bar women or drink women,” he stated. “In the event that they do, they’ll be arrested.”
Sripinproh defined that police had been capable of catch the eight girls by going undercover and posing as johns.
“One in all our cops disguised as a buyer on the karaoke bar and agreed to pay 2,000 baht ($54) for intercourse with one of many girls,” he stated, explaining that the bar proprietor and a resort get their minimize of the cash and the lady would get about 1,300 baht ($36).
Following this lead, the cops inspected the bar and located that seven girls had been working illegally.
“Based mostly on the regulation on overseas staff … the violators shall be fined as much as 10,000 baht (US$272) and/or jailed for 2 months,” he stated, however acknowledged that normally there isn’t any nice or jail time. As a substitute the ladies are often deported and blacklisted for 2 years.
He additionally stated that if the husband and spouse had been discovered responsible of human trafficking they might withstand 20 years in jail.
“However in these instances we came upon that these seven girls are older than 20 and none of them had been compelled to prostitution,” stated Sripinproh. “So, the husband and spouse gained’t be charged with human trafficking. However they are going to be charged with doing unlawful enterprise by offering sexual companies.”
RFA reported in March that 4 Lao girls had been arrested in Ban Bueng district in close by Chonburi province for coming into the nation illegally and dealing as prostitutes. They informed Thai police that they entered Thailand as vacationers, rented rooms in a resort after which offered intercourse.
Translated by Max Avary. Edited by Eugene Whong.