PattayaMakeover

26 SEPTEMBER 2014 - PATTAYA, CHONBURI, THAILAND: Members of the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants (FTPA) patrol Walking Street in Pataya. The FTPA assist local police in dealing with foreign tourists but don't have arrest powers. Pataya, a beach resort about two hours from Bangkok, has wrestled with a reputation of having a high crime rate and being a haven for sex tourism. After the coup in May, the military government cracked down on other Thai beach resorts, notably Phuket and Hua Hin, putting military officers in charge of law enforcement and cleaning up unlicensed businesses that encroached on beaches. Pattaya city officials have launched their own crackdown and clean up in order to prevent a military crackdown. City officials have vowed to remake Pattaya as a "family friendly" destination. City police and tourist police now patrol "Walking Street," Pattaya's notorious red light district, and officials are cracking down on unlicensed businesses on the beach. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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Filename: PattayaMakeover042.jpg
Copyright: © 2014 Jack Kurtz
Image Size: 5760x3840 / 25.6MB; 092614 Beach Law Enforcement Ocean Pattaya Police Sex Tourism Thailand Tourism ZUMA
Contained in galleries: Thailand (All)

26 SEPTEMBER 2014 - PATTAYA, CHONBURI, THAILAND: Members of the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants (FTPA) patrol Walking Street in Pataya. The FTPA assist local police in dealing with foreign tourists but don't have arrest powers. Pataya, a beach resort about two hours from Bangkok, has wrestled with a reputation of having a high crime rate and being a haven for sex tourism. After the coup in May, the military government cracked down on other Thai beach resorts, notably Phuket and Hua Hin, putting military officers in charge of law enforcement and cleaning up unlicensed businesses that encroached on beaches. Pattaya city officials have launched their own crackdown and clean up in order to prevent a military crackdown. City officials have vowed to remake Pattaya as a "family friendly" destination. City police and tourist police now patrol "Walking Street," Pattaya's notorious red light district, and officials are cracking down on unlicensed businesses on the beach. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ