Thailand Prepares for USS Abraham Lincoln Shore Leave

Thai authorities have outlined rules for American sailors coming ashore from the USS Abraham Lincoln during a stop in Pattaya, warning that those who break local laws may face prosecution. Approximately 5,000 S. service members are aboard the aircraft carrier, which is set to make a port call near the eastern Thai city, known for its nightlife, in the coming days.

Pattaya city officials met with S. Navy representatives at City Hall on Monday to discuss arrangements for the carrier's arrival, including behavioral guidelines for its crew, local media reported.

Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet said the city was looking forward to the S. personnel's visit and hoped their port call would boost the local tourism economy. "For Pattaya to be seen as an important vacation spot is something that we have aimed for," the mayor said.

Rules for Sailors

Mayor Poramet said the service members will be barred from certain recreational activities such as parasailing and marijuana use. Medical cannabis was legalized in Thailand in 2022, and dispensaries have become common.

S. service members are also barred from cannabis shops, pharmacies, and from taking part in "water-based activities," local newspaper The Pattaya News reported. S. Navy personnel will also be banned from certain streets in the city, including Pattaya's red-light district, the paper said.

The famed nightlife area Walking Street in the south of the city is open to sailors, but they must leave by 2 m. and authorities say there will be a larger-than-normal police presence, it added.

City police Chief Anek Srathongyoo said S. service members who break Thai law will be prosecuted accordingly, while law enforcement agencies will step up security measures to prevent undesirable situations, the Associated Press reported.

Thailand's Strict Laws

Thailand has strict laws against insulting the country's monarchy. Under lèse-majesté law, it is a criminal offense to insult, threaten or defame certain senior members of the royal family. Those found guilty under this law could face up to 15 years in prison.

Recreational cannabis use or purchasing the drug without a prescription is prohibited in Thailand, as is consuming it in public. Those breaking Thai law on cannabis possession and use could face up to a year in jail and a fine of roughly $600.

Foreigners and Thai nationals found to carry vapes could face jail time or fines up to "several times" the value of the vape or e-cigarette. People possessing vapes in Thailand can face up to five years in prison.

Pattaya's Complex Reputation

Pattaya has a reputation for often-visible sex tourism, despite prostitution being illegal in Thailand. The city, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Bangkok, is where many of the 5,000 or so sailors and Marines in the Lincoln's strike group are expected to visit for some rest and recuperation this week after the big ship's long troubled tour of duty in the Middle East.

They will be following in the wake of millions of other tourists, including a significant number of S. military personnel who take part every year in major land and sea exercises nearby with their Thai counterparts.

Social media ahead of the Lincoln's visit has been awash with jibes about lusty sailors, but recent visitors say the development of more family-friendly attractions makes the new Pattaya overshadow its former seedy self.

Many S. Navy ships dock at nearby deep-water facilities such as Laem Chabang Port and the Sattahip Royal Thai Navy Base, both less than an hour away by road.

Shore leave spending boosts the local economy, and mission duties often include community outreach in and around the city, such as specialized medical care for villagers or putting in volunteer time at orphanages.

But when hundreds or thousands of sailors have a chance to enjoy some onshore liberty, the navy deploys members of its Shore Patrol to work side by side with Thai police to defuse any trouble.

Navy personnel are likely to have been reminded that, though rarely enforced, the law in Thailand technically bans prostitution, and paying for sex is a punishable offense under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the legal framework for the S. armed forces.

The military connection between Pattaya and S. forces goes back at least to the Vietnam War era, when at its height, 40,000–50,000 S. service personnel were stationed in Thailand. Elizabeth Becker, author of "Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism," wrote that American GIs during the Vietnam War flocked to Pattaya, a once-quiet fishing village, "and it turned into a raunchy seaside playground."

The 1966 Entertainment Places Act created a legal gray area allowing the sex trade to operate semiopenly in bars and massage parlors. Pattaya underwent another evolution in the 1990s, with a new wave of tourists coming from what had been the Soviet Union, after communism there collapsed in late 1991.

There are also golf courses, running events and day trips to nearby islands. Travelers can still get a taste of old Pattaya with a nocturnal stroll down "Walking Street," at the heart of the city's racy nightlife district.

Visit Details

Thai authorities said the carrier strike group is expected to dock in Thailand between September 2 and 6. The USS Abraham Lincoln was spotted sailing past Singapore on Monday, en route back home to the S. via Thailand. While the USS Abraham Lincoln will put into port in the Chonburi province, the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. destroyer will dock elsewhere, Ngampichet said.