– Deputy Interior Minister Polphir Suwannachawi led a multi-agency raid early on 17 October on four KTV venues in Pluak Daeng district, Rayong, under an operation named “Secret Room.”
– All four were found allegedly operating without a venue licence under the Entertainment Places Act. Alcohol was reportedly sold after permitted hours.
– Officers found preliminary evidence of suspected prostitution at two of the venues. Female staff included Vietnamese and Lao nationals; some reports said 10 Lao women lacked required permits. About 10 people tested positive for drugs, and 15 people were handed to police.
– Customers were overwhelmingly Chinese. The minister ordered investigators to trace operators, capital, and beneficial owners to see if any nominee violations were taking place, and said any state official found involved would face both criminal and the highest disciplinary action.
Rayong: Deputy Interior Minister Polphir Suwannachawi led administrative and volunteer defence officers in a midnight raid on four KTV businesses in Pluak Daeng district in Rayong on the 17th of October after intelligence indicated they were operating without licences, possibly involved in prostitution, had staff without work permits, had evidence of drug usage, and were targeting Chinese customers under possible nominee structures.
The operation, called “Secret Room” were to raid four local KTVs and began around 12:30 a.m. Polphir was accompanied by Deputy Permanent Secretary Anupong Suksomnit and Department of Provincial Administration deputy director-general Ronarong Thipsiri, along with central administrative officers, Rayong provincial special teams, and volunteer defence force members.
Preliminary checks showed that none of the four held a licence to operate as an entertainment venue under the Entertainment Places Act of 1966. Officers also reported alcohol sales beyond legal hours. Intelligence and on-site observations indicated the businesses offered private karaoke rooms with female staff, focused primarily at Chinese customers, one account put the Chinese share of patrons at about 99 percent, with more than 100 female staff at some sites.
At two of the venues, officers found preliminary evidence consistent with suspected prostitution. Reports mentioned Vietnamese women working inside, and said 10 Lao women were found without relevant permits, with another five testing positive for drugs. Immigration was notified for foreign nationals working without permits. Officers also noted a claim by one staff member, made in a phone call, that monthly payments had been made to several agencies; that allegation was referred for police investigation.
Polphir ordered the Department of Provincial Administration to expand the inquiry to the actual operators, people who arranged or controlled the businesses, capital providers and true beneficial owners. He specifically instructed that if any state official is found to have been involved, the case must proceed to both criminal charges and the highest level of disciplinary action without exception. The venues and individuals remain under investigation; no final charges have been publicly detailed beyond the initial findings.
The raid is the latest in a series of administrative and police actions against unlicensed entertainment venues in the eastern provinces. Pluak Daeng itself has seen other recent enforcement activity, including a narcotics seizure earlier this month.