Be Aware; Be Very Aware.

When nearly all of us started to visit Southeast Asia, we weren’t concerned about Drug Laws. Who would be such an idiot as to carry drugs to any country whose laws were often open to interpretation?!!
Then we started to read about traffickers slipping drugs into innocent travellers’ hand-luggage.
In 1996, a middle-aged Canadian was among 25 people arrested by Singaporean and Malaysian police because they found eight kilograms of marijuana in the house in which he was staying. Although faced with two marijuana trafficking charges, both of which carried a mandatory death sentence, he ultimately received nine years in prison.
Then we read about Americans getting flogged in Singapore…then we read about government executions!
Drug-related offences are punishable by death in twenty-four countries, including:  Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Execution is carried out by shooting, hanging, stoning, and beheading. An estimated 2,500 people were killed during a three-month crackdown on drugs by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2003.
ENOUGH! Today, no one in his right mind would even THINK about drugs! But what about illegal sex? On Page 5 of this issue of SPICE!, the last paragraph of Helpful Hints’ says:
A Final Warning: Thai culture embraces all people, but you better understand what is polite and what is not. In any event, regardless of your sexuality or your interests, you can’t go wrong being kind, friendly, courteous, respectful, and by obeying the laws; for example, Don’t even THINK about sex with someone under 18!
Just as no one in his right mind would even think about bringing drugs into Singapore or Thailand, SPICE! believes it is part of our responsibility to try make our readers aware of the situation.
First of all, be aware of child prostitution. Excerpts from Child Prostitution—The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Kingdom of Thailand.
CAUTION: The following have been culled from http://gvnet.com/childprostitution/Thailand.htm to illuminate the situation in Thailand.  Some of the links found there may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading, or even false.   No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.
Children are involved in the trafficking of drugs in Thailand, and are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, including child pornography.
In April 1996, the government of Thailand passed stringent anti-prostitution laws with the most severe penalties reserved for those involved in child prostitution.
Anti-human-trafficking experts say the situation in Thailand in regard to child prostitution has improved dramatically from the 1990s.
More recently: Thailand is no longer the major offender, nor is the traffic so concentrated in any one country. And, based upon numerous authenticated reports of child sex-tourists being imprisoned there; the country no longer being billed as “Pedophile Paradise” by the freak groups; the clear evidence of international cooperation against perpetrators; and participation of organizations such as UNICEF with prosecution, etc… Thailand appears to have changed both its laws and its enforcement to some significant extent.
Here Is An Example of Recent Enforcement Involving Both Drugs And Underage Sex:
Directly from: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.php?IDNEWS=0000006717
Updated: [July 26, 2008 ] :: 15:32:33
PATTAYA MAYOR CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL GAY BARS AND TEEN DRUGGIES — Pattaya Daily News : pattaya daily update news
The Mayor of Pattaya, Mr.Itthipol Khun-pluem, intent on cracking down on illegal operations and under-age sex in one of Pattaya‘s most popular gay venues, Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya, on July 26, 2008, co-operated with police to mobilize in strength and thoroughly search the area. They were especially concerned to eradicate the prolific gangs of teenagers who sell sexual services, amongst whom there is a high illegal drug usage.
At 00.30 AM, on July 26, Pol.Col. Nopadol Wongnom, Pattaya Superintendent, organized a 70-man squad of regular and volunteer police to raid Sunee Plaza, where many foreigners go to find willing young boys. The squad checked 50 gay beer bars, pubs and go-go bars on the lookout for business licence [sic] lawbreakers, overly-explicit sex shows and staff under 20 years old. However, no premises were found to be breaking the law on any of these three counts. (Emboldened by the editors of SPICE!.)
Police volunteers, nevertheless, did manage to detain over 100 rent-boys who were soliciting in the plaza. Of these, six were under 15, 40 were using Yah Bah (amphetamines) and four were illegal Burmese immigrants. All the offenders were detained at Pattaya police station.
Pol.Col. Nopadol Wongnom, Pattaya Superintendent, stated that because Pattaya is a prominent international tourist city, with millions of Thai and foreign visitors annually, it has long been a favourite venue of criminals, sex tourists, and paedophiles. As a result, Pattaya’s new mayor, Mr. Itthipol Khun-pluem and Pattaya Police have decided it is high time that illicit activities were eradicated and a good reputation be created for the city.
Consequently, police have started a surveillance campaign and crack-down on non-compliant entertainment owners and sexual abusers. The authorities are particularly concerned about the large number of young boys, mainly from up-country and largely uneducated; many of whom have no legal guardians, forcing social services to send them to rehabilitation centres. However, because of the demand for their sexual service and the easy money available, the teenagers escape from the rehabilitation centres to return to Sunee Plaza to ply their trade. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many teenagers use their immoral earnings to buy drugs to share among their friends.
Mr. Itthipol Khun-pluem stated that he was relatively satisfied with the level of arrests and optimistic about the ongoing combined attempts to eradicate crime and give Pattaya a good name.
(End of article.)
More; from Pattaya Today.
UK CRACKS DOWN ON PAEDOPHILES AT HOME AND ABROAD
Paedophiles beware! Especially if you’re a Brit because the UK is about to institute a new law to allow those who have under-age sex to be prosecuted, irrespective of the age of consent in the country where the offence is committed. This article has been adapted from one recently published on the subject in Pattaya Today Newspaper.
In the UK, the age of consent is 16, but this is by no means standardized across Europe or Asia, for example. In Spain, Italy, and several Baltic countries, the age of consent is from 13-15; Thailand has 15 as the legal age, but there are others as well and further complications regarding whether or not one pays, or uses financial inducements.
The UK initiative is to bring it into line with the EU. And the penalties are stiff! Sex with a minor under 13 may mean life (emboldment by SPICE! editors), for example, whereas under 16, incurs a 14-year jail term.
Thailand welcomed the new UK initiative to protect children against sexual exploitation. PDN has repeatedly had to report on cases of paedophilia in Pattaya. Apparently, this year alone has seen 15 cases, which are still going through the courts. (End of article.)