An American man was arrested at a guesthouse in Pattaya for allegedly enticing a 13-year-old girl to have sex with him, police said on Tuesday.
The beach of Pattaya, Chon Buri province (Reuters photo)
Police named the suspect as Neal Rosenthal, aged 38.
According to police he admitted that he paid 700 baht to the girl for sex, but said she lied to him that she was 19 years old.
A patrol reported seeing the man talking with the 13-year-old on a beach, and that he later took her to a room at a guesthouse.
Both were undressed when they raided the room, police said. Condoms found inside the room were seized as evidence.
The American was charged with procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and would be held in custody for further investigation, police said.