Thailand's sex trade: A million women in it and it's bigger than the drug trade, says Chuwit
Former politician and night club heavyweight Chuwit Kamonwisit has once again rattled the government's cage about the sex industry.
In a series of claims on his personal Facebook page he asked what the government planned to do about the trade. His comments come after he called out government ministers who allegedly helped to spread Covid at hi-so clubs in Bangkok.
Chuwit pulled no punches about his assessment of sex for sale in Thailand. They are in stark contrast to an up country police chief who claimed a couple of years ago there was no sex industry.
Earlier tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul tried to start a campaign to end it, perhaps not realizing the extent of the task. She failed totally and was replaced by others who made no such attempts.
Chuwit said that there were a million women in the sex trade and it was financially bigger than illegal drugs.
He said that ten or more years ago he had gone back to Thammasat University to do a master's degree and wrote a paper on the commercial sex business.
None of his professors argued with his claims in the paper, he said, because he knew what he was talking about far better than them.
Sex for sale in Thailand was everywhere he said. He listed:
Pubs, bars, beer bars, karaoke, Go-Go bars, lounges, soapy massage (ab ob nuat), traditional massage, fake spas, hotels, resorts, cafes, restaurants, barbers/salons acting as fronts for the business, girls on the end of the phone. These days there were "sideline girls" (those engaging in sex to pay for their studies or lifestyle in other areas) and pretties.
He apologized if any of these were legitimately working outside the sex industry rather than just offering sex.
He listed others that keep the nighttime entertainment business going and live from it such as waitresses and waiters, kitchen staff, salon workers, drivers, guides,cashiers, mamasans, taxi drivers, restaurants, shops, alcohol providers and the like.
Many of these were in the "grey zone" of the economy, not paying tax and not registered for social security.
He said that poor education was no obstacle to entering the sex trade and that for a woman aged 18-25 this was their "golden years" with some in top end Bangkok clubs able to earn 100,000 baht a month.
After 26 things started to go downhill for many women, he said.
He further claimed that there were 100,000 underage prostitutes in Thailand (under 18) who lied about their age.
When prostitutes were over 30 they went to sell themselves in Pattaya and Phuket or other places where there was a big sex industry.
Some went abroad to work in casinos or Thai massage in Asia, Europe or the US.
In Thailand the sex industry continues to grow and grow and these days there are beer promotion women, pretties, "Ent" girls, Pheuan Kin Khao (friends to eat with) and "girlfriends for rent" swellling the prostitute ranks.
He asked, are the government to have a clear policy on youth entering the trade or are they just going to support it?
Chuwit said it was a multi 100 billion baht industry that eclipsed even the trade in illegal drugs.
It continues to prosper and enlarge, he claimed, and welcomed young women "with open arms".
That include women from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Karen people and Chinese.
It's all there in my paper at the uni he said, if you care to read it.
His remarks were reported by Thai media Naew Na.
Around the world there is a new surge since substantial drops at the start of this year, in both daily infections and deaths. The number of deaths will exceed 3 million, worldwide, today, since the start of the pandemic.
