As I mentioned a few posts (and many, many months) ago I was really unsure whether or not to keep this blog going as a separate entity. In the end I found that the topic matter was just too similar so I would prefer to concentrate on Bangkok Diaries rather than trying to keep two blogs current.

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Brothel industry is ’spreading’

The survey was conducted on brothels in the London area

London’s brothel industry has spread to "every corner" of the city, according to a charity’s report.

Brothels in the city offer sex for as little as £15, and some are charging £10 extra for unprotected intercourse, the Poppy Project in Southwark found.

Its report said 85% of brothels in the city operated in residential areas and researchers posing as sex buyers found brothels in all 33 London boroughs.

Westminster had the highest number with 71, compared with eight in Southwark.

Underage girls

The study was compiled by the Poppy Project, which provides education about prostitution and helps victims of sex trafficking.

Researchers posing as potential punters telephoned 921 brothels that had advertised in local newspapers.

They found on average 28 brothels in each borough.

Together the brothels generated between £50m and £130m a year, the researchers estimated.

One woman was told she would be working in a restaurant

Campaigners insisted this was just "the tip of the iceberg" as the only source of information was newspaper adverts, as opposed to websites or phone box cards.

Many operated through legitimate businesses – licensed as saunas or massage parlours – though the vast majority were in private flats in residential areas.

The report found 77 different ethnicities among women being offered for sex, many from areas such as eastern Europe and south-east Asia.

The average age of the women was 21. Several places offered "very, very young girls" but did not admit to having underage girls available.

According to the researchers, the average price for full sex was about £62.

Co-author Helen Atkins said: "This research shows the disturbing prevalence of the sex industry in every corner of London – fuelled by the demand for prostitution services.

"Multi-media misrepresentations of commercial sex as a glamorous, easy and fun career choice for girls and women further contribute to the ubiquity of London’s brothel industry.

"However, for most women involved in prostitution, the reality is a cycle of violence and coercion, perpetuated by poverty and inequality."

Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman said there was "a large and growing number" of very young women being trafficked into the UK.

While visiting the project she said she met two women who were brought into the country at the age of 17 "thinking that they were going to come here for a chance for education".

They "were tricked and then forced into prostitution" she said.

At the top of our list is Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose $35 billion estimated net worth is up sevenfold as a result of increased transparency of his Crown Property Holdings. He takes the top spot from the only other Asian monarch on the list, the Sultan of Brunei, worth $20 billion, one of only two rulers worth less than they were last year. The sultan, who inherited the riches of an unbroken 600-year-old Muslim dynasty, has had to cut back on his country’s oil production because of depleting reserves.

Personally, the most risk I’m willing to take on Thailand at the moment is the THD exchange traded fund I bought several months back. It’s down a bit but it’s tied to the overall SET rather than trying to pick and choose individual Thai companies. More of a long-term diversification of the portfolion than trying to cherry-pick individual stocks that you constantly have to monitor the health of the business.

Update: I guess it would help if I actually linked to the damn article.

I saw this video and it reminded me of how many guys talk about Thai women.

YANGON, Myanmar – More than 80 women and children who were victims of Myanmar’s recent cyclone have been rescued from human traffickers scheming to smuggle them to neighboring countries, a media report said Thursday.

Border police caught the traffickers, who had taken victims of Cyclone Nargis from the Irrawaddy delta to border areas, between June 11 and 14, the well-regarded biweekly journal Eleven reported, citing police.

Police Lt. Col. Rahlyan Mone, from the force’s human trafficking division, told the Yangon-based journal that victims facing hardship are being enticed with job offers abroad by traffickers disguised as aid workers.

Police and other authorities who deal with human trafficking could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cross-border trafficking, especially to Thailand, has grown in recent years as people in one of the world’s poorest nations seek opportunities elsewhere but are often tricked or coerced into prostitution or sweatshops.

The ruling junta has warned against exploitation of cyclone victims and urged the public to report any evidence of human trafficking.

Myanmar introduced an anti-human trafficking law in September 2005 that imposes a maximum penalty of death.

Local and foreign aid officials fear that trafficking could increase in the wake of the cyclone, which hit Myanmar May 2 to 3, killing more than 84,500 people and leaving nearly 54,000 missing, according to the government.

Via Yahoo News

Had to screen shot it in case they changed the photo.