Pattaya —
A 22-year-old Thai woman claimed she was forced into prostitution in Pattaya by a loan shark debt collector. This occurred after she was unable to repay a debt incurred by her friend who fled overseas. The woman eventually escaped the loan shark only to be found and beaten later, according to her statement.
The shocking story went viral after the victim, referred to as Ms. A (alias), who works as an entertainer, posted a video on social media, showing her being attacked by a transgender woman at a rental room in South Pattaya. The incident occurred at 11:35 PM on June 22nd and was captured by nearby CCTV cameras and a resident of the same building.
On June 25th, local reporters met with Ms. A, who was still in a state of fear and anxiety. She revealed that her friend had borrowed 30,000 baht from a loan shark at the beginning of this year, with Ms. A acting as a guarantor. Her friend later fled abroad, forcing Ms. A to pay for the debt.
In early May, Ms. A alleged that a 21-year-old transgender woman named “Kea” claimed to have been hired by the loan shark to capture her and detain her at a tattoo shop in Soi Rung Land, South Pattaya.
Her phone and ID card were confiscated, and she said was forced into prostitution to repay the debt. Fearing for her safety and unable to find another way to repay the debt, Ms. A complied.
Within four days, according to her statements, she managed to repay the 30,000 baht, but Kea demanded another 5,000 baht for debt collection fees. Ms. A quickly paid this amount to regain her freedom and retrieve her phone and ID card.
However, Kea claimed that Ms. A owed another 90,000 baht with another debt collector and used the same tactics to force Ms. A into prostitution for nearly a month.
Ms. A revealed she had to service up to 10 customers per day to earn 2,000-3,000 baht per person. Most of her clients were foreigners. Ms. A said she never saw any of the money she earned, as Kea took it all and only allowed her to keep tips from clients.
After a month of working, Ms. A escaped around June 20th, 2024, and hid in a rental room. On June 22nd, Kea and a group of friends tracked her down, harassed her, and tried to force her to come out of her room to face them.
The building security guard saw the situation and called the Pattaya police. When the police arrived, Ms. A came out to negotiate with Kea, who eventually left the building. The police advised her to file a formal legal complaint.
However, ten minutes after the police left, Kea and his group returned, allegedly assaulted Ms. A, and attempted to drag her into a car. She resisted, and they fled. Ms. A subsequently filed a complaint with the Pattaya police and provided CCTV footage as evidence before sharing it on social media.
On June 26th, Pattaya police, along with officers from the Central Investigation Bureau and the Chonburi Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office, interviewed Ms. A to gather more details for the case.
Ms. A said there are five suspects, with Kea as the main perpetrator. Police said they are collecting evidence and will soon seek an arrest warrant for at least one of the suspects.
