62 men arrted Thailand raid on gay 'chemsex' party amid Covid-19 rtrictns | The Stras Tim

Contents:

• THANAYUTH SAOSOONG — BEG OPENLY GAY A POLICE UNIFORM
• DOZENS ARRTED THAILAND RAID ON GAY 'CHEMSEX' PARTY
• THAI GAY ACTIVISTS RAISE PRI FLAGS BANGKOK
• 62 MEN ARRTED THAILAND RAID ON GAY 'CHEMSEX' PARTY AMID COVID-19 RTRICTNS
• POLICE ARRT 62 MEN AT GAY CHEMSEX PARTY BANGKOK SNA
• THAI POLICE RAID GAY CLUB
• POLICE RAID GAY CLUB, 15 ARRTED

THANAYUTH SAOSOONG — BEG OPENLY GAY A POLICE UNIFORM

Photo: Thana Wongprasert/ is the fifth a six part seri featurg terviews wh Thai lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) activists on their motivatns, the issu that ncern them most, their views on progrs to-date and lookg ahead.

DOZENS ARRTED THAILAND RAID ON GAY 'CHEMSEX' PARTY

He beme well known the LGBTI muny and across Thailand after a vio of him performg his daily tasks as an openly gay man went viral on social media. It went viral bee people were surprised at how I dared to be openly gay — spe the fact that I was a police uniform servg cizens. You nnot be a police officer and be gay — the two beg put together sounds unmon and ntrary.

Pl, I thk the ptn is really is your fense when people assume beg a gay police officer is appropriate?

THAI GAY ACTIVISTS RAISE PRI FLAGS BANGKOK

So, beg gay do not pose any danger to anythg. You n be gay and work as a teacher, as a soldier, as there any nflicts at work bee you are gay?

My suabily for the job had been lled to qutn bee I am gay, and that my genr inty apparently ma me look ls credible. BANGKOK, May 23 (Thomson Rters Foundatn) - Thai police said on Sunday that they had arrted 62 men for breachg ronavis rtrictns a raid on a gay “chemsex” party, the untry’s largt such crackdown durg the men were arrted on Saturday night at Faros Sna 2, where police also found dgs, needl and ed ndoms, said Police Colonel Ekapop Tanprayoon, supertennt of Bangkok’s Wang Thong Lang District police statn.

“But unr the current circumstanc there shouldn’t be so many people such a crowd area, ” he said, addg that Faros Sna 2 has two buildgs - one wh 50 bedrooms - and a swimmg pool and Thailand grappl wh a third COVID-19 wave, mpaigners are warng of the health risks posed by an apparent crease chemsex - where maly gay and bisexual men meet to take dgs such as crystal meth and unprotected sex is mon. A largely nservative Buddhist society, Thailand has a reputatn for s relaxed attu towards genr and sexual diversy sce homosexualy was crimalised Thai LGBT+ people often face discrimatn and stigma schools, the workplace and healthre facili, and are often rejected by their who attend the party and s anisers face charg of vlatg an emergency cree put place last March to bat COVID-19, Ekapop said, and uld face up to two years prison and a fe of up to 40, 000 baht ($1, 276) 30 people have also tted posive for dgs so far and will be charged wh dg-related crim, he said. Chemsex ers are at risk of dg addictn or overdos, as well as mental health problems, acrdg to Chimkong, print of the Bangkok Rabow Organizatn, an LGBT+ advocy group, said he was ncerned the arrts would ntribute to the image of gay men beg “promiscuo” and “spreadg diseas”.

62 MEN ARRTED THAILAND RAID ON GAY 'CHEMSEX' PARTY AMID COVID-19 RTRICTNS

Image source, RtersImage ptn, GBT groups Thailand say they "do not yet have equal rights society"Hundreds of Thai gay activists have raised rabow flags Bangkok durg a pro-mocracy rally the pal. There were four lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex (LGBTQI+) dividuals parliament and one member of the Hmong ethnic group. A few blocks away is Silom Soi 2 where the cy’s gay clubs like DJ Statn n be found.

There are plenty of upmarket hotels on Sunrise Beach, as well as more budget-iendly optns and even a gay-owned guthoe.

POLICE ARRT 62 MEN AT GAY CHEMSEX PARTY BANGKOK SNA

Homosexualy was legalized 1956, well before the UK 1967 and the Uned Stat (on a natnal level) 2003.

Gays and lbians have been allowed to serve openly the ary sce 2005 and many piec of anti-discrimatn legislatn have been troduced sce 2015. LGBTQ+ tourists are unlikely to enunter any homophobia Thailand. Bangkok ed to have a pri event om 1999 until 2009, but was disntued bee of a mix of distert om lol Thai activists, lack of fundg and homophobia om the police and ernment.

We are gay uple Stefan and Sebastien om London, who left our liv London 2014 to travel the world. We wre about the different gay scen each statn we vis our gay travel blog lled Nomadic Boys.

THAI POLICE RAID GAY CLUB

Mos, 26, was a "moneyboy" — a sex worker — at a gay bar the Thai tourist hub of Pattaya. BANGKOK (THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION) - Thai police said on Sunday (May 23) that they had arrted 62 men for breachg ronavis rtrictns a raid on a gay "chemsex" party, the untry's largt such crackdown durg the Covid-19 panmic. As Thailand grappl wh a third Covid-19 wave, mpaigners are warng of the health risks posed by an apparent crease chemsex - where maly gay and bisexual men meet to take dgs such as crystal meth and unprotected sex is mon.

A largely nservative Buddhist society, Thailand has a reputatn for s relaxed attu towards genr and sexual diversy sce homosexualy was crimalised 1956. Yet Thai LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr) people often face discrimatn and stigma schools, the workplace and healthre facili, and are often rejected by their fai.

POLICE RAID GAY CLUB, 15 ARRTED

Mr Nikorn Chimkong, print of the Bangkok Rabow Organisatn, an LGBT+ advocy group, said he was ncerned the arrts would ntribute to the image of gay men beg "promiscuo" and "spreadg diseas". Police arrted 62 men for breachg COVID-19 rtrictns durg a raid on a gay chemsex party at Faros Sna 2 Bangkok, Thailand on 22 May 2021. Tourist police and regular police raid a gay pub the middle of the cy, which was open for entertament out of bs hours.