Foreign Correspondent travels to Pattaya in Surviving Sin City, an investigation into the realities behind one of Thailand’s best-known tourist destinations, airing on ABC on Tuesday 22 September.
Known for its beaches and nightlife, Pattaya attracts visitors from around the world. But the killing of a teenage girl earlier this year brought renewed attention to the city’s sex industry and the risks faced by people living and working there.
Reporter Karishma Vyas speaks with sex workers, police and tourists about life on Pattaya’s streets, placing the resort city’s public image alongside the experiences of people who rely on its nightly economy.
Foreign Correspondent in Pattaya
Pattaya’s tourist economy has long been shaped by the promise of sun, sand and nightlife. Foreign Correspondent looks beyond that familiar image to investigate the pressures faced by the people who work in the city and the challenges confronting police and local communities.
Vyas meets sex workers who describe the day-to-day reality of earning a living in Pattaya, as well as tourists drawn to the resort city and police tasked with keeping its busy streets safe. Their accounts place the programme’s central questions in the lives of the people most affected.
The episode also follows the response after the teenager’s death, which exposed a darker side to Pattaya’s international reputation. The programme considers how safety, tourism and the sex industry intersect in a city that welcomes millions of visitors.
Foreign Correspondent includes an interview with an Australian man charged with a murder in Pattaya. He says he is innocent and acted in self-defence. The investigation presents the case as part of a wider examination of the city’s complex and often hidden realities.
Watch Foreign Correspondent on ABC
Foreign Correspondent – Surviving Sin City
Tuesday 22 September, 8:00pm
ABC and ABC iview
Find more ABC TV news and current affairs coverage at TV Central.
