Thai authorities have stepped up a crackdown on the sex trade in the resort city of Pattaya ahead of the arrival of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The carrier has roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, who will get a chance to rest and unwind after more than 200 straight days at sea.
The UK-based Independent reported Monday that the USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to dock at Laem Chabang port near the Thai resort city of Pattaya this coming Wednesday, September 2. Two other US Navy vessels will accompany it. Local businesses are expecting a boost in economic activity around the arrival of the large contingent of US service members.
Ahead of the troops’ arrival, however, extra police patrols have been arranged in the city’s main beach and nightlife areas. In an operation carried out last week, 40 to 50 people were detained on suspicion of involvement in the sex trade.
Pattaya police chief Anek Srathongyu said police are doing everything possible to keep the situation under control. However, he said, sex workers can approach potential buyers in various crowded areas without the authorities’ knowledge, making the issue difficult to control.
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand, but it operates openly in some areas of the country’s major tourist hubs, particularly parts of Bangkok and Pattaya.
The USS Abraham Lincoln set sail from its base in San Diego last November. It was later sent to the Middle East to support US military operations amid the Iran-Israel war. According to Democratic lawmakers, its unbroken time at sea has set a modern-era record.
The long deployment has also raised concerns about the mental health and morale of crew members aboard the ship. Two military-focused news outlets reported this month on suicide attempts aboard the carrier and declining morale.
Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches said a US service member might spend roughly 1,000 to 3,000 Thai baht a day. The amount would depend on how long they stay ashore and whether they stay overnight. Not everyone will go ashore at once, he said; shore leave will be staggered.
Pipatpong Fakfare, an associate professor in Bangkok University’s tourism management department, warned that the arrival of a large number of tourists and buyers could raise the risk of sexual exploitation and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. He said the reports of crew members’ psychological stress and suicide attempts were another cause for concern.
Pattaya’s tourism businesses, however, see the visit as a boon for the economy. Lisa Hamilton, head of a local business association, said this year has been Pattaya’s slowest for business in 20 years. The US Navy’s visit, she said, has become a new source of hope for them.