Thai-French woman, 27, arrested over recruiting underage girls into sex trade
A Thai-French 'madam' was arrested for allegedly running an underage brothel in Thailand.
Andaman Lobjoeis, 27, of Thai and French descent, reportedly recruited teenage girls for prostitution under the guise of modelling jobs in Udon Thani.
She advertised the children to suspected paedophiles on social media, threatening them with violence if they refused to work.
Andaman was also accused of forcing the youngsters to have sex with clients despite being sick or menstruating.
Undercover cops arranged a sting after three girls Petch, 18, Baitong, 17, and Baibua, 13, escaped from Andaman and reported her to the police.
Officers posed as clients to book a girl named Tubtim, 15, while Andaman left to meet a separate customer on July 10.
Police later swooped in to detain Andaman as she returned to collect her commission from Tubtim.
The alleged madam was charged with human trafficking, 'gratifying the prurience of another', profiting from prostitution, procuring for prostitution, child exploitation, and child abduction.
She allegedly admitted to operating a bogus modelling agency, with five girls aged 15 to 23 currently working for her.
She reportedly charged clients between 1,000 and 3,000 baht, taking a commission of around 100 to 200 baht from each booking.
Andaman said: ‘I want to apologise to society and let my case serve as a lesson.
‘There are many cases like this, but some people find ways to avoid being caught.
‘Please let my case be an example that this is wrong.
‘Whether the girls consented or not, even if it brings in money, it is absolutely not worth it.'
One of the escaped girls, Petch, 18, reportedly confessed to dropping out of school to do sex work.
She added that she met Andaman at the apartment they shared, and the older woman offered to find clients for her.
Petch said: ‘I admit that I used to work independently, taking on clients by myself.
‘I kept all the money I earned and did not have to share it with anyone. Later, Andaman invited me to work with her.
‘In the beginning, she found clients for me and deducted only 200 baht from each payment.
‘However, she also expected us to buy her food and sometimes pay the rent, electricity and water bills for the dormitory.
‘Recently, she started forcing us to accept clients. If we refused, she would speak to us harshly and make threats.
‘That made me think that our bodies belong to us, so why should we have to use them to support someone else?
‘I then persuaded my friends to move to another dormitory to get away from her.
‘However, she continued threatening to physically harm us and kept sending us threatening messages.
‘That is why we decided to seek advice and ask the authorities for help.'
Another girl, Baibua, 13, said she agreed to become a prostitute because of the income before Andaman allegedly began coercing her.
She said: ‘Apart from being sick and unwell, I was forced by Andaman to take clients.
‘I remember one day when I had to see five clients even though I was not feeling well.
‘Andaman claimed that she urgently needed money because her mother was ill and required medical treatment.
‘However, I later found out that she was actually addicted to gambling and spent all day playing online slot games on her phone.
‘Sometimes I was forced to take clients, and Andaman kept almost all of the money, leaving me with as little as 100 baht.
‘The worst part was when I was on my period. She still ordered me to take clients, telling me to buy tampons or a sponge to use, and I complied because I was afraid she would send her friends to assault me again.
‘In the end, we could no longer tolerate being exploited, so we decided to run away together and live somewhere else.
‘Even then, she continued threatening us by saying she would report us to the police, claiming that we owed her money and had borrowed money without repaying it, which is not true.'
Baitong, 17, who lived in the same apartment as Petch and Baibua, said she took on sex work as a side hustle but was reportedly exploited by Andaman .
She said: ‘If I accepted a client, 200 baht was deducted. If I refused a client, 500 baht was deducted.
‘I was losing money either way. It was completely unfair.
‘In the end, we discussed it together and agreed to move to another dormitory, but she continued sending us threatening messages.
‘Even though she already has four new girls working for her, aged between 15 and 18, she still won't leave us alone.
‘Fearing for our safety, we decided to report the matter to the police.'
Police Major Wattanaphong Kaewphirom of Mueang Udon Thani Police Station said the rescued girls were handed over to specialists to receive psychological care.
He said: ‘We worked with a multidisciplinary team to question the victims. We have also informed their parents of what happened, and coordinated further assistance for them.'
Underage prostitution is rampant in Thailand despite government efforts to curb it through strict laws and enforcement initiatives. Driven by poverty, trafficking, and lack of education, vulnerable minors are sometimes forced into the sex industry to earn money.
