The Economic and Social Impact of Transnational Crime in Pattaya City, Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to study (1) the characteristics, types or forms of transnational crime in Pattaya City; (2) to study contextrelated transnational crime, and (3) to study the economic and social impact on Pattaya City of transnational crime. The populations of this study were divided into 2 groups: the people who lived in Pattaya City and the government officials who were working in this area. The sample size was 400 and was selected by random sampling. The research used both quantitative and qualitative research. For quantitative research, data were collected by questionnaires and were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. In terms of qualitative research, data were collected by document study and in-depth interviews with key informants and were analyzed by content analysis. The research found that the forms of transnational crime were committed jointly with Thai people and mostly by foreigners. It was found that the nationalities most involved with transnational crime were Russian and Pakistanis and Islamic countries. The nature and types of transnational crime in Pattaya City were illicit trafficking in drugs, trafficking in women, and money laundering. The analysis of characteristics of illicit activities concluded that the key group was the Russians, the Scandinavians, the Chinese, and the Indians. Transnational crime affected both the economy and society of Pattaya City. It mostly affected people’s way of life. It could be seen that people not only feared for the safety of their lives and property, but it also affected local traditions. Evidence of the facts impacting society and economy were found as follows: (1) Tradition and culture today are different from what they were in the past. (2) There was wide spread larceny, theft and holdup. (3) The rate of drug addiction was growing.