Published: 26 August 2006
PROSTITUTES aged anywhere between 17 and 50 can be found operating in Adliya, according to a Thai florist who works in the area.
He estimated there could be 10 to 20 prostitutes working in the area, which also houses the main headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID).
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, added that they come straight from Thailand to work in the sex trade – attracting business “anywhere crowded”, from discos to coffee shops.
“Some say they have sponsors and others don’t,” he said.
“Many of them don’t speak English.
Published: 26 August 2006
PROSTITUTES aged anywhere between 17 and 50 can be found operating in Adliya, according to a Thai florist who works in the area.
He estimated there could be 10 to 20 prostitutes working in the area, which also houses the main headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID).
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, added that they come straight from Thailand to work in the sex trade – attracting business “anywhere crowded”, from discos to coffee shops.
“Some say they have sponsors and others don’t,” he said.
“Many of them don’t speak English.
“The Saudi men just drive by, open their doors and say ‘hi’ and ‘how much?’ It’s very open.
“I have spoken to some of them and know lot of them are very poor and are forced into this by circumstances.
“But I’m ashamed because they are from my country.
“Many of my Thai female friends who work for restaurants or hair salons complain to me that they are often mistaken for and treated like prostitutes.
“They tell me no one respects them anymore.”
However, he did say that the number of Thai prostitutes had decreased recently – blaming competition from Chinese prostitutes who were challenging them for their turf and forcing them to look elsewhere for business.
“The women are getting fed up – it’s hot, the customers are less and Ramadan is approaching,” he said.
“They are looking to other places besides Bahrain now.”
He even claims some women tell him they are hired on a monthly basis and a customer rents an apartment for them, which they maintain to keep off the streets.
“When they get ‘boyfriends’ they cannot go out anymore and have to stay inside all day,” he said.
“Most of the men who do that are American or British because they have the means to do it.
“The Saudi men just drive over for a night. They don’t bother to keep the women.”
Asked whether the police ever did anything about it, the man said arrests had in fact been made and he thought many women were detained at the Isa Town detention facility.
One Indian shopkeeper interviewed in the area, which is host to a number of Thai restaurants and grocery stores, said he was aware of the stories but never witnessed anything himself.
“I have read all the letters in the paper, but I have never seen anything,” he said.
“My shop is only open until 9pm and I leave at 7pm, so maybe I just miss everything.”
A Bahraini cashier working at a Thai supermarket also said she got off work at 5pm and never noticed anything.
“This is a Thai store and Thai people come in here all the time to buy food,” she said.
“That is all I see and there is nothing strange about that.”
Another Thai shopkeeper said he witnessed the women early in the evening when they came out in their abayas to shop.
“They come out between 5pm and 7pm to do their shopping, but they never pick up customers here,” he said. “They work at the hotels.”
Another Thai hairdresser agreed, saying the women only came out to shop in the evening and that police patrolled the area around two or three times a week.
All shopkeepers admitted that the increased traffic was good for business, if bad for their reputations as Asians.
However, elected officials representing areas reportedly frequented by prostitutes said they were unaware of claims that the neighbourhood was deteriorating.
Manama Municipal Councillor Jaffer Al Qaidoom urged residents to report any complaints to him.
“I am not aware of this situation. I know there are a few hotels in the area, but I have never received any complaints from residents,” said Mr Al Qaidoom, who is the council’s technical committee vice-chairman.
“If the residents have a problem they must come forward and inform the councillors.”
Meanwhile, MP Yousif Al Hermi advised people to also contact the police.
“I have personally never heard of this,” he said. “This does not please me at all and firm measures need to be taken in response to this apparent problem. “Residents should inform the police about these prostitutes.”
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