Following news that Thai women were arrested for prostitution in South Africa, Information Department deputy chief Thani Thongpakdee yesterday said he had received a report from the Thai Embassy in Pretoria that South African police had told the embassy three women, rescued in a May 25 raid, had passports and Thai ID cards, while others were pending nationality identification.
Thai Consulate officials would cooperate with the South African Interior Ministry to identify the remaining women's nationality and interview them.
If they were deemed human trafficking victims, they would be sent home through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the ministry would pay the expenses, , he explained.
The nationality identification would take some time depending on documents, he said, adding that previous arrests of sex workers had seen most women claiming they were Thai, hence definite nationality identification was needed.
If it was found that they illegally entered the country for prostitution, South Africa would deport them immediately, Thani added.
Following a tip-off that the women, aged between 23 and 27 years old, had been trafficked and were being sexually exploited in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, South African police raided the place to rescue the women and arrested a South African woman for operating an illegal brothel.
Thai passports were reportedly recovered alongside cash and a small amount of heroin.
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