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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Natasha May and Vee Intarakratug in Pattaya

In Thailand’s sex tourism hub, bright lights flash, loud music blares – and underage girls are exploited

A crowded street at night lined with bright neon signs and illuminated storefronts
Pattaya’s brightly lit Walking Street offers everything from ‘Russian Girls Show’ and ‘Bollywood Night’ to ping-pong shows. Photograph: puttapon/Getty Images

Sky Kanyarat was playing pool in the early hours of the morning in one of Thailand’s most famous red light districts when a middle-aged foreigner with a heavy gait approached her.

She had often seen him walking past the bar where she worked in Pattaya, a city about a two-hour drive from Bangkok. But this was the first time Kanyarat had seen him come in.

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