08 May 2023

The surveillance this evening began a bit earlier than usual because I wanted to be on-site as the crowds began to arrive. As before, the throngs of people arrive in waves, I still find it curious that some parents deem it suitable to expose their young children to this type of environment. I would estimate the youngest I saw this evening was a four or five years old little boy. This child was apparently in the company of what I can only assume to be his mother as she worked and cooked over a small grill about fifty yards inside the entrance to Soi Cowboy. So, we must understand the desensitization of cultures to this kind of environment. This is not to say this only happens in faraway places, I have observed the same parental behaviors in the United States in places like Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Duval Street in Key West Florida.

I witnessed, what I believe, to be my first overt signs of human trafficking this trip or at the least human control techniques. As I was watching the first of the crowds begin to fill the streets and the employees of the numerous establishments take their positions to entice the passersby to choose their establishment over the next, I spotted what I was here to find. I watched a non-distinct dressed man being followed by two Asian women enter the street. Less learned eyes would have assumed it was just people passing through, but something struck me as odd about this trio. Even though the area was not crowded yet, they followed about three to five feet behind the man, almost in step. As I watched their behaviors, the male would look back and speak over his shoulder to the women and they would drop their gaze to the ground as they answered. Although I could not hear what was said, the body language of the women indicated it was not normal pleasantries.  I continued to observe from a distance as they proceeded down the street into the areas of the “Gogo” bars. I was able to see the man signal for each of the ladies, in turn, to separate and enter a different “Gogo” bar as he continued to make his way down the street. I do believe this is a prime example of a trafficking technique or a possible better definition would be sexual slavery. This is not something that is hidden, I witnessed this in the middle of a busy street surrounded by people.