Police arrested two Thai women for allegedly trafficking underage prostitutes to Chinese businessmen in Thailand.

Nalatporn, 22, and Panida, 21, reportedly recruited dozens of vulnerable hill tribe girls from the north of the country and pushed them into selling sex to visitors from the Communist rogue state.

Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) officers nabbed Nalatporn at a massage parlour in Suphanburi province where she worked, and detained Panida at a condominium in Bangkok on December 5.

They were charged by the Criminal Court for human trafficking by procuring children over 15 years old but under 18 into prostitution, and profiting from prostitution.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Kittipong Amaritoran of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division said: 'We arrested Panida while she was staying at the condominium. On the same day, we arrested Nalatporn while she was working as a masseuse at a massage parlour. Both suspects were handed over to the inquiry officer for further legal action.'

The arrests came following a probe into a human trafficking gang operating in Thailand in December 2023. The alleged prostitution ring reportedly tricked 25 tribal girls from northern Mae Hong Son province into working as prostitutes in Bangkok.

The youngsters were said to have been coerced to have 'rough and violent sex' with Chinese businessmen at luxury hotels. The men reportedly paid up to 200,000 baht (4,600 GBP) for virgin girls, and 100,000 baht (2,300 GBP) for non-virgins.

Investigations found that Nalatporn and Panida were linked to the operation. They had allegedly recruited an underage girl, who was paid 120,000 baht per romp. The pair received a cut of her fees as commission.

Underage prostitution is rampant in Thailand despite government efforts to curb it through strict laws and enforcement initiatives. Driven by poverty, trafficking, and lack of education, vulnerable minors are sometimes forced into the sex industry to earn money.

(1 GBP = 43.24 THB)