Phuket Tourists, Children 'Forced to Watch Patong Sex Show' - Phuket Wan
Phuket Tourists, Children 'Forced to Watch Patong Sex Show'
By Pathomporn Kaenkrachang
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist has accused a tour company of coercing a group of visitors, including children, to go to a live sex show on Phuket.
The tourist was so concerned that on returning home to China, he telephoned a Phuket newspaper journalist to report what had happened on his recent visit.
When told of the man's complaint, Patong councillor Weerawit Kruesombut said today that he would investigate the matter.
Chinese tourism is likely to grow rapidly on Phuket - but a report that children as young as 10 have been forced to watch a sex show in Patong will not encourage families to visit.
Group leaders on some tours from China have an invidious reputation for forcing their customers to make stops at souvenir shops, but the man's new claim takes tour intimidation to a new level.
The man was not coy in his description to the Phuket journalist.
''The man said his tour group were forced to watch a f---ing show in Soi Bangla,'' the journalist told Phuketwan this afternoon.
''He said there were children among the group and that they sat through the show.''
It's known that sex shows have never been more obvious in Patong, Phuket's lively west coast nightlife capital.
Go-go and pole dancers now invite stares in open bars at street level and touts hand out fliers for ''free'' sex shows where the compulsory first drink costs 500 baht.
The man who contacted the journalist said that his tour guide insisted on everyone in the group paying 2500 baht to go to a sex show - and then made them all sign disclaimers saying that they went to the show of their own volition.
The man's accusation is likely to cause shock waves not just in the China tour business, but also in Patong, where many businesspeople dislike the increasing sleaziness.
Others say that pornography is universal. As Phuketwan has reported, these days the retail elements are also growing in number, making for an arm-wrestle in the old Soi Bangla between Soi Blingla and Soi Bonkla.
While there are more sex shows than ever, Councillor Weerawit said today that he believed the live sex that was once a feature of Patong shows had disappeared.
Any night in Patong,steady streams of tourists can be noted going to an upstairs show in Soi Bangla after touts tell them they will see ping-pong balls fired by a woman.
Councillor Weerawit said he believed that the sex show operators turn away Thais and only let in overseas tourists.