泰國首位女性旅遊部長承諾終止泰國性旅遊業

Thailand has promised to eradicate its notorious sex tourism industry as it attempts to reinvent itself as a female-friendly travel destination.

爲重塑泰國適宜女性遊客的旅遊勝地形象，泰國政府承諾將終止臭名昭著的性旅遊業。

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the country’s first female tourism minister, made the pledge following a series of police raids on Thai brothels last month, amid concerns over human trafficking and underage sex workers.

當前人口拐賣與雛妓問題日益引起社會關注，泰國首位女性旅遊部長科甘·瓦他那朗恭承諾將終止性旅遊業，上月警方對泰國的一些妓院進行了突擊檢查。

“We want Thailand to be about quality tourism. We want the sex industry gone,” Ms Kobkarn told Reuters.

科甘女士在路透社的採訪中指出：“我們希望泰國提供高品質旅遊活動，我們呼籲那些色情產業趕緊關門。”

“Tourists don’t come to Thailand for such a thing. They come here for our beautiful culture.”

“遊客來泰國不是爲了進行性交易，而是來感受泰國燦爛的文化。”

Prostitution has been illegal in the south-east Asian country since 1960, but the industry employs more than 120,000 sex workers, with authorities frequently accused of turning a blind eye.

自1960年以來，東南亞國家便將性交易視爲非法活動，但這一行業仍有超過12萬名性工作者，而政府也經常被指責對這一現象視若無睹。

Ms Kobkarn began her drive to clean up Thai tourism’s image soon after arriving in office in 2014, singling out the seedy resort city of Pattaya as a pilot project for the country at large.

科甘女士自2014年上任後就開始美化泰國旅遊業形象，在全國範圍內，她從烏煙瘴氣的芭堤雅着手，以該城市爲試點進行改革。

Pattaya has more than 1,000 bars and massage parlours, many of which are fronts for illegal brothels.

芭堤雅有1000多個酒吧和按摩會所，而它們基本上都是爲非法色情產業打的幌子。

But last month’s police raids, in which police closed down a high-profile Bangkok massage parlour and arrested more than 100 sex workers employed there – 15 of whom were underage – could mark a turning point for the industry.

但是在上個月的警方突襲檢查中，警方關閉了一所曼谷高級按摩會所並逮捕了100多名性工作者——其中有15位是未成年人——這一事件成爲整個色情行業的轉折點。

Although clients are predominantly Thai men, foreign tourists and expats also flock to brothels in Bangkok, Pattaya and other cities. Almost a million Britons visit the country each year.

儘管主要顧客是泰國人，但是外國遊客和移民也經常出沒於在曼谷、芭提雅和其他城市的性工作場所。每年有近一百萬英國人來泰國旅遊。

In an attempt to diversify the industry, Thailand is starting a “month for women travellers” campaign in August, in which female-only pink immigration lanes and parking zones will be set up in international airports.

爲了使旅遊業多元化，泰國計劃在八月發起一項“女性遊客月”運動，到時國際機場會專門爲女性開闢一道粉色的入境通道與停車區域。

The campaign is timed to coincide with the birthday of Thailand’s Queen Sirikit on Aug 12.

這項運動也恰好趕上了泰國王后詩麗吉8月12日的生日。

Other travel sectors including wedding and honeymoon tourism, and eco-tourism, are also being pursued.

泰國政府同時也支持發展其他旅遊項目，比如結婚旅行、蜜月旅行以及生態旅遊。