In December 2023, DW broadcast a documentary on sex tourism in Pattaya which unleashed a wave of outrage. National media in Thailand took up the story – at its center, the case of a suspected German pedophile.
The German national had been arrested in Pattaya on suspicion of child sexual abuse. He was alleged to have taken underage girls from a bar to back his apartment. But instead of being brought to justice, he was able to leave the country. Allegations followed that a significant bribe was involved. Once details of the case entered the public sphere, the Thai Prime Minister himself intervened to demand that the police and judiciary investigate any official errors.