PATTAYA — A coordinated nighttime crackdown on prostitution along Pattaya Beach and nearby roads has resulted in the arrest of 16 foreign women, with authorities moving swiftly to revoke visas and initiate deportation proceedings against those found soliciting in public areas.

30 foreign women arrested for alleged prostitution on Soi Nana in Bangkok

The operation, conducted by immigration officers, social development officials, tourist police and volunteers, targeted individuals suspected of engaging in prostitution along the city’s famed beachfront and surrounding thoroughfares. Among those arrested, 12 women faced charges of public solicitation. This group included one woman from Kyrgyzstan, five from Uzbekistan, and six from Uganda. Each was fined by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, while immigration officers simultaneously initiated proceedings to revoke their visas and process their deportation from the kingdom.

In a more serious case, a Ugandan woman was arrested for both solicitation and overstaying her visa by 108 days. She was taken to Pattaya City Police Station for further legal action, where she faces additional charges related to her extended unlawful presence in the country. Three more Ugandan women were detained on related charges, with immigration authorities already working on deportation procedures for them as well.

16 African Women Arrested for Prostitution in Sukhumvit Crackdown

The Pattaya operation aligns with a broader crackdown previously conducted in Bangkok, where 16 foreign women were arrested following social media complaints about soliciting on Sukhumvit Soi 4, a popular nightlife thoroughfare in the capital. Those arrests included nationals from Tanzania, Kenya and Vietnam, all charged under Section 5 of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act of 1996. Authorities have signaled that such operations will continue as part of an ongoing effort to curb public solicitation and enforce immigration laws in Thailand’s major tourist destinations.

-Thailand News (TN)