May 21, 2006, 14:16 GMT
Bangkok - Thai sex workers, eager to cash in on World Cup fever in Germany next month, have been warned that they will face many risks in pursuit of their goals, media reports said on Sunday.
Empower Foundation, a Thai sex workers' rights advocacy group, issued the warning to its members after learning that several working women from Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, were planning to visit Germany next month under the impression it would be easier for them to get tourist visas during the World Cup match from June 9 to July 9.
'Although prostitution is legal in Germany, only Germans are allowed to work in the industry,' Portip Pakwai, an Empower spokeswoman, told The Nation newspaper.
She also warned members that Thai women often fall victim to local mafias when pursuing their trade in Germany, and advised them to always keep with them the telephone number of the Thai embassy and photocopies of their passports.
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