Theerasak Jatupong
(right, with mic), head of the city’s Peace and Stability Maintenance
Department, addresses about 200 Dongtan Beach masseuses.
Urasin Khantaraphan
About 200 Dongtan Beach masseuses submitted to drug tests and
pledged to be on their best behavior to protect Pattaya’s image among
tourists.
Theerasak Jatupong, head of the city’s Peace and Stability Maintenance
Department, headed the “Pattaya White” project meeting Feb. 13 at city
hall with members of the Dongtan and Thai massage clubs.
Theerasak spoke about the masseuse profession, focusing mainly on drug
use and preserving Thai traditions while taking the general public’s
benefits into consideration.
Attendees willingly submitted to urine tests to verify they were not
using illegal drugs. Theerasak also asked club members to comply with
regulations of both the city and their organizations. Violators, he
said, could have their licenses revoked.
Registered beach masseuses must have a home registered in Banglamung
District, a license from a massage school, must cooperate with Pattaya
activities and be a member of a beach-massage club, which enforces such
things as uniforms and registration numbers.
