From what I have seen on other online forum boards, the latest campaign, of which the sweep of Sunee was a part, is largely confined to the drug problem. KQuill and some others think that it is even less than that -- just a photo op for a bigwig who wants to score political points being seen doing his job.

It is both unnecessary, and contradicted by first-hand reports, to think that the police are on some sort of campaign to shut down the sex trade. So let's not go overboard with any alarm.

We must beware of two things:

1. Letting our own "guilty conscience" about buying sex (often a product of Judeo-Christian indoctrination) manifest itself in a kneejerk response where the moment someone speaks about police action, we automatically think it is action against sex;

2. Letting those whose interest is directed at partners of borderline or questionable age speak for us. To them, indeed, police action rounding up the underaged -- which happens from time to time -- would represent a "closing down of sex" and reason enough for shrill cries of "the end of all that is Pattaya". But the rest of us should not unthinkingly be sucked into this stream, lending our voices to it and thereby becoming guilty by association.

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