Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we're discussing, well we are discussing recent developments from Thai authorities regarding workshops to tackle and deal with the issue of child exploitation, which in my opinion is something that really anywhere needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately, there is like this misnomer that Thailand has this issue more than other places. In point of fact, I don't believe it does; I have never thought that. I have lived through for a very long time. I come from a fairly rural jurisdiction back in America and these issues popped up there as well. It is something that has to be tackled in any community unfortunately, and I am glad to see Thailand is proactive in going after this stuff; it's good to see.

I thought of making this video after reading recent article from the Phuket News, that's the phuketnews.com, the article is titled: Phuket targets child sex exploitation in tourists area. "Local authorities in Phuket have launched a new campaign to strengthen child protection in the tourism sector focusing on preventing child sexual exploitation in high tourist areas." Quoting further: "A training workshop titled 'Strengthening the Protection Against Safe Tourism, Far From Child Sexual Exploitation'" - (I think their translation is a little off there) - "was held at the Seabed Grand Hotel in Phuket Town on Wednesday (July 16). The event was jointly organized by the Phuket Provincial Office, the For Freedom International Foundation, the Anti-human Trafficking Fund and the Office of Social Development and Human Security. Phuket Vice Governor Samawit Suphanphai presided over the opening of the workshop which drew strong attendance from representatives of government agencies, hotel operators, tourism businesses and Community organizations. Chanwit Kittiwongsunthon, speaking on behalf of the For Freedom International Freedom, outline the objectives of the initiative. The workshop is aimed at a raising awareness and building practical knowledge among tourism professionals - particularly those operating in Patong and surrounding areas, which attract large numbers of visitors each year, said an official report of the event. Key topics included identifying signs of child sexual exploitation, appropriate intervention, and the legal obligations of tourism businesses. Vice Governor Samawit stressed the importance of cross sector cooperation, saying the protection of children requires active involvement from both public and private stakeholders. Quote: 'Developing the capacity of frontline workers, such as hotel staff and tour operators is crucial,' he said. 'They are in a position to observe suspicious behaviour and respond swiftly to protect victims. This project is a vital step in making Phuket a genuinely safe destination for children and youth.' 

Yeah, the one thing I would say is I don't think that there was any over abundance of danger with regard to this sector. That said, unfortunately there are bad actors anywhere in the world and for whatever reason, Thailand seems to attract some of them especially in the foreign community. Now as we have seen over the years, especially with the inception of the Advanced Passenger Processing System here in Thailand (APPS), as well as the PBIC system that Immigration utilizes, these things have become much less common. And you have got to understand, this wasn't really so much a homegrown problem if you will. A lot of foreigners came here for whatever reason thinking they could get away with something here that they couldn't in other jurisdictions. I am here to tell you that if the police didn't catch them, other folks here in Thailand that did would have far more stringent punishments in mind than would the police. But if the police didn't catch them, there would be justice one way or the other, I'll just suffice it to say, leave it at that.

I think it is good to see that we are seeing this workshop being done. I think it certainly to my mind assuages concerns over whether or not folks both in the private sector and the public sector know how to deal with this. So, I definitely think it is a good development. We are certainly supportive of all of this here at the firm, and hopefully we will see even less of these issues moving forward here in the Kingdom of Thailand.