Pattaya Police Superintendent Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong (standing, center)
has announced an aggressive crackdown on child pornography, which began
with the arrest of Udon Dan-Ud.
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya Police have launched a crackdown on sales of
child pornography and other illegal adult videos for sale on Pattaya’s
streets.
The crackdown started with the Dec. 21 arrest of Udon
Dan-Ud, 39, who was caught on Jomtien Beach with more than 500 discs
depicting gay and child pornography. Using foreign volunteers as buyers,
police have swept through the city, reportedly forcing nearly all
sellers of illicit DVDs underground.
Pattaya Police Superintendent Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong
said the crackdown came after authorities received many complaints about
the issue.
While he acknowledged police have long been aware of
adult and illegal videos being sold in Pattaya, he said cleaning out
vendors has been problematic.
“We have problems arresting them because they don’t
keep the disc inside the covers,” Nanthawut said. “We now are using
foreigners as buyers and following sellers to where they hide their
discs.”
He admitted, however, that even those who are
arrested habitually return to start sales again.
“We’ve had many complaints and I’ve ordered a
complete crackdown,” Nanthawut said. “This is not only a crime that is
against the law, but one that sheds a negative light on our country
worldwide.”
