The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD), has apprehended three suspects involved in a human trafficking and child pornography operation. The suspects were arrested for allegedly “participating in human trafficking as part of a group of three or more, producing or distributing pornographic materials involving minors aged over 15 but under 18.”
The investigation uncovered that the group used a Discord application under the group name “MonatX Community,” which had attracted hundreds of thousands of followers. The suspects created content featuring live-streamed pornographic videos involving underage girls. These videos included the girls performing sexually explicit acts or engaging in sexual activities with others, with viewers paying to watch the content.
Police were able to identify two 15-year-old girls from the videos and summoned them for questioning. The victims revealed that they were recruited by senior members of the Discord group to earn extra money. They were instructed to live-stream themselves undressing and performing sexual acts, typically for about one hour per session, in exchange for a share of the revenue from the live stream, amounting to approximately 1,000 to 2,000 Baht per session.
Following these revelations, the authorities executed search warrants at the residences of the suspects. They arrested three individuals: Mr. Zig, 17, who was responsible for founding the Discord group and managing the live-streaming operations; Mr. Mo, 17, who handled the scheduling and revenue distribution for the streams; and Mr. Phakthon, 21, who acted as a DJ, encouraging members to donate money to prompt the girls to perform specific explicit acts.
Upon questioning, all three suspects confessed to their involvement. They disclosed that the earnings from each live-stream were split, with approximately 40% going to the girls and the remainder being divided among the suspects. The suspects have been handed over to the investigators at the ATP Division 2 for further legal proceedings. (CIB)
