Thai police launched small scale arrests of a few sex workers in Pattaya before the arrival of 5,000 American sailors on USS Abraham Lincoln who have spent nine months at sea. Before their arrival Pattaya's police force has claimed to clamped down on
the sex industry, with at least 40 people arrested in nightlife raids over the weekend. Anek Srathongyoo, the city's police chief, said law enforcement agencies have been ordered to step up security measures to prevent undesirable situations.
Poramase Ngampiches, Pattaya's mayor, said in a Facebook post that the city would welcome the troops and urged people to treat them well. He said: They come to relax because it's been almost 280 days since anyone
came ashore. Our preparations will focus on safety and ensuring fair pricing, so we don't take advantage of them.
Meanwhile US naval authorities have also done a bit of token probitiond too. Servicemen have been banned from both water
sports such as jet skiing and parasailing, and consuming cannabis, which is largely legal in Thailand. The mayor instead said he hopes they'll take in the city's other sites, from malls to temples. As if! The sailors have reportedly also
being banned from Soi 6 which is famous for its large choice of short time bars. This ban was the source of a false rumour that Soi 6 had been closed to everyone by Pattaya for the duration of the naval visit.
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