The Thai resort of Pattaya is preparing to welcome more than 5 thousand crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln: before the arrival of the American aircraft carrier, local police conducted raids against sex workers and increased patrols of beaches and nightlife areas, Reuters reports. The American military will be able to go ashore for the first time in a long time – the ship spent a record 250 days in the Middle East without calling at ports. Local authorities expect an influx of money from their arrival, but at the same time they fear the growth of prostitution and the risks associated with it.
USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to dock on Wednesday, September 2, at the port of Laem Chabang near Pattaya. After a long mission, part of the crew will be able to go ashore to rest and recuperate.
For a resort town, the arrival of several thousand American military personnel at once means not only additional income for restaurants, bars, hotels and other establishments. Pattaya is known for its thriving sex industry and was previously named by the FBI as “one of the world's leading sex tourism destinations.” Sexual exploitation of minors remains a separate problem.
“Children are forced into prostitution or forced to work for pittance in terrible conditions. Some migrant parents are so desperate to feed their families that they surrender or sell their children to traffickers, who send them out onto the streets to beg or work as sex workers,” the FBI said.
Ahead of the aircraft carrier's arrival, police have already carried out raids and detained 50 people on suspicion of prostitution. Pattaya Police Chief Anek Sratongue admitted that it is difficult for law enforcement to fully control the situation: sex workers continue to offer services in public places, bypassing the attention of the authorities.
“There is a risk to health and safety [американских военных]as the influx of large numbers of clients could increase the likelihood of sexual exploitation and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases,” said Pipatpong Fakfare, a professor at the School of Humanities and Tourism Management at Bangkok University.
However, city authorities see economic benefits in the Americans’ visit. Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches estimates that a single US service member can leave between 1,000 and 3,000 baht a day in the city—roughly $30 to $91.
All 5 thousand people will not be on the streets of Pattaya at the same time: shore leave will be provided to the crew in stages. However, according to the mayor, the arrival of the US military can significantly support local business in the short term.
For the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a stop in Thailand will be the first proper vacation in many months. The aircraft carrier left its home port of San Diego in November last year, and was later sent to the Middle East to support the American operation in Iran. The ship left the region only on August 22.
The lengthy mission was accompanied by reports of problems on board. In April, complaints about food drew attention to the aircraft carrier: photographs of half-empty trays in the dining room appeared in the media, after which relatives of sailors began to publicly express concern about the conditions of service.
Later, there were complaints about dirty water, moldy showers, non-functioning toilets and packages from relatives that sailors could not receive for months.
Amid the protracted mission, there were also reports of exhaustion among the crew and a deterioration in their psychological state. In particular, RTVI talked about two alleged suicide attempts. In one case, a serviceman ended up overboard and was rescued by a helicopter; in another, a sailor who was preparing to jump into the water was stopped in time by a watchman.
