This is the astonishing moment police were caught up in a mass brawl between Filipino transgender prostitutes and Thai ladyboys over a turf war in Bangkok’s red light district.

Officers were called on Monday night when more than 100 local sex workers converged on a hotel being used by sex workers from the Philippines on the city’s Sukhumvit Road, part of a sprawling area of gogo bars, street workers and massage parlours.

Footage shows how the first sex worker was dragged from the Citin Sukhumvit 11 hotel, accused of being part of a group that clashed with the locals and stole their customers the night before.

However, the local ladyboys erupted in fury when they saw their alleged attackers – sparking chaotic scenes that escalated into a mass brawl.

In the video, stilettos fly as local transgender women are seen hitting police, climbing on buildings, stamping on other girls, throwing objects, and even having their clothes torn off.

The local ladyboys erupted in fury when they saw their alleged attackers

One sex worker had their top torn off in the brawl 

The clash reportedly continued at the local Lumpini district police station, where the Filipino transgender women were reportedly detained for working without the necessary visas and permits.

Police Colonel Yingyot Suwanno, superintendent of Lumpini Police Station, said: ‘Upon receiving the report that a large number of transgender workers were gathering, police were dispatched to provide security at the location in Soi Sukhumvit 11 to prevent further violence.

‘Officers were armed as is normal procedure. They handled the situation well and kept the crowd under control.

‘Those involved were summoned to the police station for questioning. We assured everyone there will be fairness and we will make judgments accordingly.

‘We are currently questioning the suspects, some of those who complained, and we will summon anyone else who has been identified, for further interrogations.

‘We will also check their immigration status to determine if they are permitted to work. In the case of those from the Philippines, there is no visa for what they were doing.

Armed officers were dispatched to deal with the ruckus

Bangkok has been home to the world’s cheapest and most colourful red light areas since the 1960

Local cops found themselves in the middle of the brawl 

Many of the Filipino sex workers were arrested for working in Thailand without a permit

Brawlers eventually went their separate ways after police broke up the fight

‘We asked the group of transgender women who gathered at the station to return home, and they eventually complied.’

Bangkok has been home to the world’s cheapest and most colourful red light areas since the 1960s when American troops had military bases in Thailand. Many GIs opened bars in the Patpong district and the city now has tens of thousands of strip clubs, gogo bars, massage shops, and street prostitutes. 

Despite claiming that prostitution is ‘illegal’, those inside the industry – including many British expats who run bars – operate with impunity due to regular payments to police, while sex workers from around the world now converge on the city to cash in on randy holidaymakers.

Thailand was ranked 108 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s latest index. 

They found that a quarter of state workers had received a bribe in the previous 12 months and 88 per cent of residents perceived ‘government corruption as a big problem’.