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Britons, German, American caught in Thai sex raid

Thai police arrested two Britons, an American and a German in the beach town of Pattaya on Thursday on suspicion of child sex abuse.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 14:19 December 11, 2008
  • Gulf News

Bangkok: Thai police arrested two Britons, an American and a German in the beach town of Pattaya on Thursday on suspicion of child sex abuse.

Police said the suspects, aged between 45 and 66, were caught with hundreds of photos and videos of abused young boys in a joint operation between Thai police and Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).

If found guilty, they could face up to 20 years in jail.

Police said CEOP had provided a list of 50 suspected paedophiles who might be hiding in the southeast Asian nation, long regarded as a paradise for child sex abusers.

"We are appealing to the victims of these paedophiles to come out so we can press more charges against them," chief investigator Police Colonel Suvichpol Imjairat told a news conference.

CEOP chief executive Jim Gamble said the arrests sent a message to European paedophiles who think they can evade capture by travelling to countries where law enforcement is thought to be weaker.

"Britons who travel abroad to abuse children in the belief they can evade justice are a UK problem and we have a duty to protect every child, everywhere," he said in a statement.

Thailand made headlines last year when police arrested "swirly-face" Canadian paedophile Christopher Neil, whose digitally scrambled picture was unravelled from images of abuse found on the Internet.

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