Police have raided a bar allegedly selling child prostitutes on Thai holiday island Phuket.

Officers stormed the Velvet bar along the Bangla Walking Street on March 15 after receiving intelligence that girls under 16 were providing sexual services for tourists.

The intelligence came from U.S. nonprofit organisation Operation Underground Railroad, which rescues children involved in human or sex trafficking.

Manrat Rattanasukon, director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), ordered the special operation unit to inspect the bar on Wednesday evening.

An undercover agent was sent inside and, after confirming minors were being prostituted, gave the signal to raid the brothel.

Police detained the manager, Taksakorn Suppa-akkarapokin, and a recruiter Watcharaporn Thongmark. They used the pseudonyms 'Nam' and 'Yuki'.

A second team entered a nearby hotel and rescued six underage sex workers waiting for customers. The youngest of the girls was 15 years old. They were all taken to be interviewed at Thailand's National Referral Mechanism before being taken to a children's shelter to recover from trauma.

Taksakorn and Watcharaporn were charged with operating an entertainment venue without a license, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of children.

DOPA's inspector Ronnarong Thipsiri said: 'Human trafficking is a critical problem in Thailand. It could affect the country's economy and image, as well as people's well-being. Therefore, it is a problem that must be jointly solved.'

He added that DOPA is continuing to strengthen efforts in cracking down on human trafficking to improve Thailand's standing from Tier 2 to Tier 1 in the US annual Trafficking In Persons report.