Commercial sex prohibition fuels massive everyday corruption
Media reports continue to emerge of the huge amounts of bribe money flowing from Thailand’s ubiquitous but still illegal sex industry into the pockets of corrupt officials at every level.
Of course, this has been standard operating policy in Thailand for centuries.
Some years ago, I was speaking with a British friend who managed a bar. A man wearing police-uniform pants, polished shoes and a windbreaker (with a bulge), came in with a briefcase.
He sat at the bar, opened the case, shuffled through papers, then turned the case so the manager could read the contents.
The manager brought out a bulging envelope and handed it to the fellow – who glanced through the contents and then put it in the case.
AGAIN – legalisation and licensing removes corruption. Actually, without photos or videos, there is little evidence to prosecute anyone for a completely victimless “crime”.
Calling sex (of any sort) a crime only makes it easier for corrupt officials and criminals to profit through collusion and bribery. If Thai authorities were serious about eradicating endemic corruption in society, they would bring the sex industry out of the shadows and into the light.
Michael Weldon
