Thai girls ‘in parlours’

Press, 7 September 1989, Page 3

Thai girls ‘in parlours’

PA Wellington The police have noticed more young Thai girls working in massage and rap parlours in the Auckland area, SeniorSergeant Graham Bell said yesterday. “From time to time people who work in massage parlours come to police notice for a variety of reasons. Lately we have noticed some of these people are young Thai girls,” he said. Senior-Sergeant Bell said the girls were being brought out from Thailand on a 'Visitor’s permit by the massage parlour owners. “When we find they have been working, but are here on a visitor’s permit, we refer the case to the

Immigration Department,” he said. “Of course, if we find evidence of criminal actions then we might take more of an interest” Senior-Sergent Bell said that often the situation was exacerbated by the fact that the girls did not speak English. “But there is little doubt they are coming out to work as prostitutes,” he said. Vice squad officers have investigated several massage or rap parlours in the last week and found Thai girls as young as 16 working in two of them. One of the girls had only a one-week visitor’s permit to New Zealand.