some info:
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In 2003, the United States passed a law that mandates a sentence of up to 30 years for any US citizen caught having sex, including in foreign countries, with minors under the age of 18.
The US Department of Homeland Security, Interpol and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation have since all coordinated closely with Thai tourism and law-enforcement agencies to investigate and arrest suspected sex offenders. That campaign has included raising awareness among hotel and resort staff, but suspected official complicity and the wild and multitudinous maze of rent-by-the-hour cheap hotels in Thailand makes it nearly impossible to curb the trade complete.
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http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HH19Ae01.html<snip>
The Royal Thai Police and the American Embassy in Thailand hosted a conference on Human Smuggling and trafficking during August 5th – 7th at the Hilton Phuket Resort and Spa. The session was attended by responsible police officers on the Thai side led by the Deputy Director General of the Police Department Pol. General Isaraphan Sanitwong Na Ayuddhaya. Giving a talk on the issue, Ann Hurst, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE Attache, under the US Department of Homeland Security, explained that the American government has been working closely with Thai police as it also recognizes the problem in Thailand and tries to tackle it. She pointed out that human smuggling is the third largest criminal activity in the world.
http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=182919