PATTAYA, Thailand – Despite repeated assurances from authorities that sex solicitation has been eliminated from Pattaya’s beachfront, immigration police once again moved to suppress open prostitution along Beach Road just days before the New Year holiday, exposing a familiar gap between official statements and on-the-ground reality.
Chonburi Immigration Police carried out a targeted operation against a group officers referred to as the “Coconut Office” gang, allegedly operating an organized street-level sex trade in the highly visible area near Soi 13–13/4 on Pattaya Beach Road. The operation was led by Pol. Lt. Col. Kawinwat Arayasuriwong, Deputy Superintendent of Chonburi Immigration, following public complaints and viral social media clips showing foreign women aggressively soliciting tourists, including pulling arms and openly offering sexual services in public.
Undercover officers were deployed to observe the scene, including a plainclothes decoy posing as a tourist. Once behavior consistent with solicitation was confirmed, uniformed officers moved in and arrested eight foreign women. The suspects included five Ugandan nationals, one Madagascan national, and two Uzbek nationals. Some attempted to flee or resist arrest but were quickly detained.
Immigration investigators said the operation stemmed from intelligence gathered during the busy year-end tourism period. Authorities found that several of the women had entered Thailand legally but later violated visa conditions. Four had arrived on 60-day tourist visas only days earlier, while the remaining four held student visas, which strictly prohibit employment. All admitted to providing sexual services to tourists at rates of approximately 2,000 baht per hour.
The women were charged with publicly soliciting prostitution in a manner deemed disruptive to public order. Each was fined 1,000 baht before immigration officials initiated visa revocation and deportation proceedings.
While the arrests may signal renewed enforcement, the incident highlights a recurring contradiction in Pattaya’s long-running rebranding campaign. Despite frequent official declarations that Beach Road is free from sex solicitation, similar crackdowns reappear in the same locations, often timed around major holidays and international attention.
Critics argue that such operations are largely reactive and cosmetic, raising doubts about whether meaningful, long-term solutions are being implemented. As Pattaya continues to promote itself as a family-friendly and premium tourism destination, the visibility of street-level solicitation along its most iconic beachfront remains an unresolved challenge—one that resurfaces with striking regularity despite official promises to the contrary.
