An operation by the Department of Provincial Administration led to a crackdown on two notorious lounges within the heart of Chiang Rai‘s Mae Sai district believed to be concerned in human trafficking, drug dealing, and exploitation of underage staff. This was following a tip-off by worldwide human rights organisations.
Officers found 9 people who tested positive for medication and apprehended underage workers, the youngest being only 15 years previous.
Under the leadership of Ronnarong Thepiri, an official investigator, the particular unit managed to efficiently infiltrate and take management of the 2 establishments situated in Wiang Pang Kham, Mae Sai. The report from the human rights organisations indicated that these lounges have been using underage women, each Thai and foreign nationals, who could have been sexually exploited and using drugs.
Upon inspection, it was found that each lounges had been operating with out the mandatory official service institution license as mandated by the Service Establishment Act B.E. 2509. Further, they were serving alcoholic beverages beyond the permitted hours. Insider of illicit drugs had been discovered within the VIP rooms, and 21 female and 15 male staff have been current in each lounges.
Among the female staff, six had been confirmed to be below 18 years previous, with the youngest being 15 years old. These underage women had been required to cater to and take care of customers, an obligation that potentially concerned the sexual exploitation of minors, successfully making it a case of human trafficking, reported KhaoSod
While checking the urine samples of the staff, medicine have been detected in 4 individuals. Among the patrons, five tested optimistic, contributing to a total of 9 drug users within the lounge. It was also uncovered that two patrons beneath the legal age of 20 years were making use of the service, aged 17 and 18 respectively.
In the initial stage, the particular unit officers took significant steps to make sure the security of the six underage individuals and moved the potential victims of human trafficking into the National Referral Mechanism. This process involved interviews, screenings, and differentiating of victims by knowledgeable multidisciplinary team..