But the contradictions in Pattaya highlight Thailand's challenge in tackling a side of its tourist industry that remains economically vital while being officially excoriated. We are not allowing prostitution in these entertainment places," provincial governor Pakkaratorn Teianchai told reporters on the infamous Walking Street in Pattaya, southeast of Bangkok. Masseuses in miniskirts offered "happy ending" massages whose euphemistic title has nothing to do with the Happy Zone of the authorities. The Happy Zone approach is a softer way to try to show that something is being done. If it works on Walking Street, the idea will be spread to the less sanitised sois.

Source: Bangkok Post March 26, 2017 19:30 UTC