The legality of taking photos in lewd nightspots—or outside bawdy bars, for that matter, and carrying dangerous weapons in public, as well as recurring issues related to ladyboys, vendors and street prostitution, were only some of the topics covered by attorney Nitiwat Pattanasarn when he addressed this month’s training session of the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants (FTPA).

Nitiwat, who is with Ken International Law Office, told the trainees, “We now have a wealth of international security experience with many of our 44 assistants having had police or army backgrounds. There is a heavy emphasis now on training and updating of skills. New members undergo a detailed induction programme.”

FTPA work under the authority of regular Tourist Police officers, principally in Pattaya’s Walking Street area. The volunteers work on a weekly rota, based at the mobile Tourist Police post at the entrance to Walking Street. They include a mix of nationalities from Europe, Asia and the Americas, reflecting the changing nature of Pattaya’s foreign visitors.