A Thai public schoolteacher and several others were arrested for selling teen girls for sex in karaoke bars they owned in Surin province.
In total, 19 girls were detained from after the three karaoke bars were raided by authorities. Seven were underage.
The owners of the bars are now being charged with human trafficking and facilitating the molestation of minors.
Authorities said that the 51-year-old public schoolteacher will face stiffer charges than the rest as he is a government employee.
Lift, an NGO focused on combatting human trafficking, initially tipped off police to the karaoke bars engaging in prostitution.
Authorities also state that foreigners were seen in each of the three karaoke bars.
In Thailand, anyone who engages in sexual intercourse with an individual under 18 is committing a sexual offense, according to Jitsopin Narasettapong, a criminal defense attorney based in Thailand.
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