A training workshop for commercial Sex technics for commercial sex workers in Pattaya resulted in the arrest of the Russian mafia member organizers.
Thailand has to change its image of being a sex tourism destination, Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday.
On Saturday, Gambian minister Hamat Bah told state media that Western tourists planning to travel to The Gambia in search of sex should stay away from his country and consider Thailand instead, as reported by eTurboNews.
The Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed dissatisfaction in response to a Gambian tourism minister’s negative remark about Thailands sex trade.
“We have to accept that some people make a living from this kind of occupation. Some people decide to work in the sex business as they follow the fashion of buying luxury goods. Therefore, we have to help solve the problems both in the careers and income of these people. More importantly, we have to look into whether these people are happy to change their occupation or not,” the prime minister said.
“When anyone says something bad about us, we have to comply and use the laws [to solve the problems]. Everything must improve. We have to help make Pattaya and other tourism areas quality tourist attractions and free of this [sex tourism],” Gen Prayut said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai said he did not believe the Gambian minister’s remark would be taken seriously by the international community.
The ministry told the media it had told the Royal Thai Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, which also oversees Gambia, to issue a letter expressing dissatisfaction with the Gambian minister’s remark, saying it could hurt Thailand’s image and Thai tourism. What he said was “not in line with the facts”.
Thailand has plenty of developed tourism venues and activities, the ministry insisted.
While a similar letter would also be sent to the Gambian ambassador based in Kuala Lumpur, the Gambian Honorary Consul-General in Bangkok was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a meeting Tuesday where he said Gambians living in Thailand were also unhappy with what their minister had said.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat said the ministry will continue to work on promoting the country as a preferred destination for international visitors as well as improving tourism products and services and ensuring that secondary provinces become new destinations for visitors from around the world.