US sailors arrive in debauched Thai 'Sin City' Pattaya for shore leave
The first wave of US soldiers has arrived in the debauched seaside resort of Pattaya as the USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand today.
The troops arrived at Laem Chabang port before being taken some 12.4 miles by bus to the Thai 'Sin City' – a notorious depraved destination for American soldiers seeking 'rest and relaxation' since the Vietnam War.
Local officials were waiting at the Hard Rock Hotel to greet them before they were gifted with souvenirs and silk garlands.
The hotel is one of the main drop-off points from the port to central Pattaya.
Local mayor Poramet Ngampichet said he has arranged more than 50 buses to transport the troops in batches.
Upon arriving, many soldiers were seen queuing at ATMs as they prepared to splurge on the much-awaited shore leave.
Businesses across Pattaya are now anticipating a major economic boost from the influx, with spending expected to reach hundreds of millions of baht.
Hotels, restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues are all seen to benefit while the troops remain in the city until September 6.
Officials had also launched a prostitution crackdown in bustling red-light districts ahead of the aircraft carrier's port call, arresting around 50 sex workers.
They insisted that prostitution remains illegal under local law, despite it happening openly across the country and being one of Pattaya's main draws.
The USS Lincoln is one of the US Navy's largest warships, with a crew of roughly 5,000.
It was sent to the South China Sea in November last year before being rerouted to the Middle East, where it supported the US war against Iran, spending a record of more than 250 days uninterrupted time at sea.
However, the marathon deployment has reportedly eroded morale and mental health.
Rear Admiral Robert E. Loughran, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, said the shore leave provided a 'well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge'.
Former fishing village Pattaya became popular with American troops on 'rest and relaxation' breaks in the 1950s and 1960s when the U.S. military had bases in Thailand while fighting Communism in Vietnam. Rural families are said to have even dressed their sons as women to cash in on the gold rush.
The handful of bars in the coastal town quickly grew and it is now the world's biggest sex holiday destination, with round-the-clock prostitution and drugs - a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah rife with crime and debauchery.
Government chiefs have attempted to clean up the city but regular violence, depravity and claims of corruption continue to blight its reputation.
