Will chemsex be the brand new homosexual regular for Thailand tourism?
On Saturday 62 men were arrested at Faros Sauna 2 in Bangkok where police found drugs, needles and used condoms – the latest raid on a gay chemsex party.
- The men were arrested for violating COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and drug-related crimes.
- To contain the pandemic, Thailand closed bars and nightclubs.
- This appears to have fueled the fires for Chemsex parties both in private homes and now in public places like Faros Sauna 2.
In April, the Thai government closed all bars and nightclubs to help contain the pandemic. Unfortunately, according to the charity Thomas Reuters Foundation, this led to yet another public health crisis in the form of a surge in chemsex cases.
What is chemsex?
It is the practice of consensual and enhanced gay sex with multiple partners while under the influence of certain drugs such as crystal meth, mephedrone, and GHB. It has the potential to be more challenging as it is more effective than having a few beers with friends. Chemsex users are also at risk for drug addiction and overdoses, as well as mental health problems, HIV infection and violence including physical assault and more. And it’s inherently a targeted environment for the COVID-19 coronavirus to pass on.
Although the media has implied that western tourists are attending chemsex in Thailand as well, the reality is that there are currently virtually no foreign visitors to the country and a list of those just arrested has not been published.
