Thailand: Lingerie-Clad Sex Workers Take to the Streets to Protest Coronavirus Lockdown

Thailand: Lingerie-Clad Sex Workers Take to the Streets to Protest Coronavirus Lockdown
Ratsadon News/Facebook
Gabrielle Reyes

Thai sex workers staged a demonstration in Bangkok on Tuesday to protest the Thailand government’s recent Chinese coronavirus shutdowns, which the sex workers argue have cost them their livelihoods.

“Since their workplaces – massage parlors, go-go bars and karaoke joints – have been ordered shut for months, the group arrived at around 9am Tuesday asking for THB5,000 (US$156) monthly stipends per person,” the local news site Coconuts Bangkok reported on June 29.

“About 20 people lay high heels on the ground while others tied panties to the building’s front gate,” the news site detailed, referring to the exterior gate of Thailand’s Government House building.

“Thailand’s sex trade attracts foreign tourists and brings large amounts of income to the country,” a protester at Tuesday’s demonstration named Sirisak Chaited told Coconuts Bangkok.

“[T]hese workers deserve government compensation, especially during times of crisis,” Chaited argued.

In a comment directed toward the Thai government, Chaited added, “We’re Thai people and we generate income for the country. Please accept the reality that prostitution exists and it does have value and dignity just like other profession [sic].”

Prostitution is officially illegal in Thailand. Proven violations are punishable by up to two years in prison or a THB 40,000 fine (about $1,246).

Government authorities in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, ordered all entertainment venues and massage parlors in the city to shut down in April following what local media described as a “third-wave outbreak” of the Chinese coronavirus in the region. The venues have remained closed since then, costing Thai sex workers months of income.

“Effective yesterday, Bangkok and its metropolitan areas have imposed a new set of restrictions including a ban on dining-in at restaurants, sealing off worker campsites and limiting interprovincial travel,” Coconuts Bangkok reported on June 29. “There is no sign that nightlife venues will be allowed to reopen anytime soon.”

Bangkok’s Public Health Ministry recorded an “all-time high” for new daily cases of the Chinese coronavirus in the city on June 29, according to the Bangkok Post.

“The 4,662 new cases [recorded] over the previous 24 hours consisted of 4,624 local infections — in 71 provinces —along with 28 imported cases,” the local newspaper reported. The Bangkok Metropolitan Region consists of the city of Bangkok and five adjacent provinces.

Bangkok city recorded the highest daily rate of new coronavirus cases out of the entire Bangkok Metropolitan Region on June 29 with 1,692 new infections, “a new record high” for the city, the Bangkok Post reported.

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