Regional News
Thai Authorities Warn Parents of Valentine’s Day ‘Dangers’
Valentine’s Day has become a widely-celebrated in Thailand in recent decades
BANGKOK – Thailand’s Ministry of Interior Affairs issued an order to all provincial authorities to ensure that nightclubs and hotels strictly follow the laws on Valentine’s Day and bar underage customers from their venues.
Pol.Maj.Gen. Patipat said Parents, guardians, and teachers should instruct children to be extra careful on Valentine’s Day this Saturday, they should tell the children to be careful and take care of themselves. They should also ask for cooperation from children to avoid risky behavior on Valentines Day.
Every year, police and state agencies launch a campaign to ensure that Thai youths refrain from “inappropriate activities.” on Valentines Day.
The national police force has issued a similar order, placing all police units in the country on alert from 11-15 February to “increase vigilance in risky areas in which sexual harassment and crimes can take place,” said Pol.Maj.Gen. Patipat.
He also urged all entertainment venues and nightclubs to report any incidents of “children being lured” or “behaving in an inappropriate way” to local police units by dialing 191 or 1599.
Despite Thailand’s reputation as a top destination for sex tourism, premarital sex is largely frowned upon in the country’s socially-conservative culture.
