Among the critical barriers to change are the law enforcers. When his initial report showing how 300 Bangkok gambling operators were paying protection money to city police chiefs was released in 1996, Sungsidh found his home besieged by angry officers. That is not to say that there are no honest cops. In fact, several helped with the research project. What is lacking in this work is a fuller look at the demand side of the equation.
Blame lies with the gamblers and people frequenting brothels too.
Still, as the authors point out, there are no easy answers. Nor quick solutions. Even if it were possible to shut down all the illegal operations straight away, there would be millions of unemployed to deal with. Reform is vital. But the authors believe government action, however well-intentioned, will achieve little.