Under Pattaya’s neon lights, 60,000 pleasure-industry workers are hidden, feeding a machine that Thai authorities are now trying to dismantle.
This resort town, located 145 kilometers from Bangkok, is known worldwide as a cluster of vices that the government is trying to clean up in order to attract a more family-oriented crowd. In a recent and gloomy raid, officers detained 16 women of various nationalities, revoking their residence permits.
In this corner of the world, the cost for company can be as little as 13 dollars, but the real price is often much higher for those who fall into the nets of excess.