Thailand Substitutes Football For Prostitutes & Drugs

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinatwatra's attempts to buy a chunk of Liverpool football club are just the latest step in his ongoing campaign to eradicate Thailand's sex and drug cultures, the Guardian reported this week.

"Out or seriously suppressed, are the vices of illicit sex and readily available illegal drugs," said The Guardian's John Aglionby, "which for years have been two of Thailand's biggest draw cards, as far as the legions of foreign tourists are concerned."

The billionaire autocrat's move into football came weeks after police began implementing a harsh crackdown on nightclubs and bars which has seen a 1am curfew introduced and numerous raids on Bangkok clubs, in which revellers have been urine tested before being allowed to leave.

More ominously for the country's tourist trade, Britain's Foreign Office continued to warn of "a threat to British and other Western targets from terrorism in Thailand" this week and also specifically urged travellers to be extra cautious at the fabled Full Moon Parties on Koh Phan Ngan.

"In recent months, there have been a number of cases of individuals either dying or suffering from severe mental health problems after attending full moon parties on Koh Phan Ngan," the FO website warned.

"This is thought to be linked to drugged food and drink."
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