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Foreign sex workers held, some fined

POLICE yesterday brought 77 foreign women

Metropolitan Police Area 1 chief Maj-General Wichanwat Borirakkul said the suspects were divided into two groups: the majority - undocumented migrants working at the business - were brought to the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court, while those who worked in jobs that didn't match their work permits were sent to the Northern Bangkok Municipal Court.

Ratchadapisek Criminal Court approved the detention of 57 women, while Northern Bangkok Municipal Court fined 20 suspects Bt4,500 each.

Five other employees - whose detention was approved by the court yesterday - will be prosecuted for procuring women for prostitution and aiding a prostitution operation pursuant to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Metropolitan Police Area 1 deputy commander Colonel Chayut Marayart said, in his capacity as chief investigator in the case.

Besides the 77 suspects, 23 Thais were interrogated earlier and fined, while nine girls aged under 18 were identified as alleged human-trafficking victims, he said. The ages and job positions of 12 others (as |victims or criminal suspects) were being determined.

Wichanwat said probes into police negligence for allowing prostitution, human trafficking and bribery to go on for so long unchecked at the business needed time to be completed.

He instructed investigating officers to conduct thorough inquiries to ensure justice to all sides and to base their actions on facts and clear evidence.

Later yesterday Department of Provincial Administration officials who participated in the raid spoke to Huai Khwang police investigators about the operation and evidence seized, including logbooks detailing kickbacks to police and state officials.

Anti-human trafficking activist Ronnasit Preuksayajiva, who yesterday submitted tape recordings of the alleged victims for police to use in the case, said he came forward as a witness because his organisation had gathered information that led to the DOPA-led raid. He said his organisation was probing more massage parlours over the same crimes.

Deputy police spokesman Maj-General Piyapan Pingmuang said the national police chief had told the city police bureau to punish those involved while assigning Police Discipline Division chief Maj-General Jessada Yaisun to join the probe. The case should become clearer by next week, he said.

The 100-strong raid rounded up 121 sex workers - among them Myanmar, Laos and Cambodian nationals and ethnic minorities - and arrested five employees at the massage parlour. Logbooks recording kickbacks led to probes against police and officials based on shortened names, initials and affiliated agencies.

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