Well this was a story that broke that when I saw the story I immediately presumed it was a joke or some sort of parody.
The Thais have a very good sense of humor about transgenders here and ladyboys are a common part of anyone's day. There is no controversy surrounding that in Thai society and they are very confused by the vigilant and violent attitude of transgender rights activists in other places.
When a dude is wearing a dress with too much makeup on in this country it is still a bit strange sure, but it isn't so uncommon that people would really think much of it... which is kind of strange to say but also true.
I love how the officers were more than happy to be in this news article and even though they are sort of undercover agents they were pleased to pose in the dresses that were involved in the sting. It think the one in the front is actually a woman but trust me when I say that that very well could be a guy as well but he is just the best at it.
I don't know the deal with the actual criminal in this picture whose face is blurred out but apparently this was someone that the cops had been aware of being a drug dealer that also operates illegal gambling operations and they knew he was going to be at this particular club on a certain night. I don't know why the costumes were necessary and they didn't just rush in there and grab him, perhaps they needed to make sure that he actually had drugs on him and I guess that is what is on the table in front of them all.
The only person in this picture that isn't happy at the moment that the pic was taken was probably the dealer, and even he probably had to chuckle a little bit about how it was that he was apprehended. This sort of thing doesn't happen often or if it does we don't get to hear about it. I think it might be in some sort of a way a public relations plot to humanize or at least present the cops in a humorous manner.
Cops are a bit of a strange anomaly here in Thailand because for the most part they are quite friendly. You don't hear about police brutality here all that often and the few interactions I have had with them they were really nice and kind of happy that I spoke a bit of Thai. But on the other hand the cops are kind of reviled because it is well known among all Thai people that the police are very corrupt and are out there stealing money from citizens in the form of shakedowns and police checkpoints more often than they are doing drag-show raids to catch drug dealers.
Regardless, this was a funny story that everyone in the country finds amusing (other than the guy going to jail) and I think it is great that the police were happy to take part not just in the sting, but the media part that comes afterwards. I would imagine that this photo will get framed and hung up in the hallway of the police station.