Lumphini Police, in coordination with Immigration and Ministry of Social Development officials, arrested five foreign women soliciting prostitution along Sukhumvit Soi 4. They face serious charges under the Prostitution Act. Immigration is working to blacklist and deport them, barring their reentry into Thailand.
At 00:10 on 25 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Pol. Maj. Gen. Witawat Chinkham, Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, Pol. Col. Yingyos Suwannono, Superintendent of Lumphini Police Station, Pol. Lt. Col. Ekapon Phuttikul, Deputy Superintendent of Lumphini Police Station, and Pol. Lt. Col. Warayut Phuangnak, Investigation Officer, ordered Deputy Inspector Kritphas Lekkla and patrol officers from Lumphini Police's vice suppression unit, together with officials from the Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS), and officers from Immigration Division 1, to jointly arrest five foreign women—Vietnamese, Filipino, and Tanzanian—at Sukhumvit Soi 4, Khlong Toei Subdistrict, Khlong Toei District, Bangkok.
This action followed complaints and social media video clips showing a group of foreign women secretly offering sexual services to tourists on public sidewalks. Authorities planned and conducted surveillance, and upon identifying individuals exhibiting prostitution-related behavior, they revealed themselves to conduct searches and make arrests.
The five offenders, aged 29 to 45, include three Vietnamese women, one transgender Filipino woman, and one Tanzanian woman. They were charged with soliciting, enticing, introducing themselves to, following, or harassing persons on streets or public places for prostitution in a manner that is public, shameful, or causes public nuisance.
Pol. Col. Yingyos stated that the Ministry of Social Development's Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development imposed fines and handed the suspects over to Immigration Division 1 to revoke their permission to stay and deport them under Section 12(8) of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979). The five were sent to the Immigration Office at Suan Phlu for legal processing, visa revocation, repatriation, and blacklisting, preventing future entry into Thailand.
The Lumphini Police Superintendent added that officers met with the Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development and related officials to discuss imposing fines under the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act B.E. 2539 (1996). Following a committee ruling on fines, it was noted that on 16 Feb 2026, the department requested the Office of the Council of State to appoint police officers as authorized state officials for imposing fines.
The Council of State's meeting record showed that the Ministry of Social Development could not appoint police officers as authorized state officials for fines because they are not officials responsible under Section 5 of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act B.E. 2539. Therefore, a cooperation plan was developed to combat foreign prostitution offenses in Thailand through ongoing, integrated operations involving Lumphini Police, the Department of Women's Affairs, and Immigration officers.
The suspects were then taken to the Lumphini Police Station for prosecution according to the law.