Woman arrested in Hat Yai underage prostitution sting
A Thai woman who allegedly led a Songkhla-based prostitution ring that provided sex services from girls aged between 13 and 15 was arrested in a sting operation at a Hat Yai resort hotel on Sunday, Anti-Human Trafficking Division (AHTD) chief Pol Maj General Kornchai Klayklueng said in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Kanokporn Noree, 42, also known as “Maena Khet 8”, allegedly operated her prostitution ring after the fall of a major Hat Yai ring that provided underage prostitutes from orders taken online. Its alleged leader, Sanan Wansam-ngam, was arrested in December and is currently in prison.
Kanokporn allegedly took over Sanan’s customer base, sending underage girls to perform sex services in exchange for payment of Bt3,000 to Bt5,000 per customer. The girls would receive payment of only Bt1,000.
When the AHTD heard of Kanokporn’s activities, they launched a sting operation in which an informant offered to buy her services.
When she showed up at the resort hotel with a 13-year-old Mathayom 1 schoolgirl and boasted of the girl’s innocent quality to serve special customers, police presented themselves to arrest her.
Police claimed that Kanokporn tearfully confessed to the crime, saying she was helping out some girls who wanted extra income from jobs. She allegedly apologised and said she wouldn’t commit such a crime again.
She was initially charged with human trafficking by benefiting from prostitution of minors under 15, procuring minors for prostitution, promoting inappropriate behaviour of youths, and wrongdoing.