Bangkok - Thai police have arrested four foreigners, including two British nationals, one German and a US citizen in a crackdown on sexual abuse of minors in Pattaya beach resort, police said Thursday.

"There are foreign nationals and networks facilitating sexual abuse of minors in Thailand so we needed to crack down on the crime," said police Major-General Chaiwat Kaetworachai, commander of Thailand's Prevention of Crimes Against Women and Children police division.

Chaiwat said the Pattaya clean-up, conducted from November 17 to Thursday, had been assisted by tip-offs from the UK-based Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOPC).

Netted in the crackdown were two British nationals, Malcolm Henry Payne and Robert Alexander Horsman, German national Fritz Dieter Blattner and US national Robert Roy Lond, who all face charges of sexually abusing minors or abduction of minors.

Also arrested was Thai national Saeng Kaetdee on procurement charges. All five were brought to Bangkok Thursday to face charges and court cases.

Pattaya, Thailand's oldest beach resort situated abut 100 kilometres south-east of Bangkok, is notorious for its raunchy night life and widespread availablity of commercial sex.

While prostitution is illegal in Thailand, charges are rarely brought against prostitutes and their clients. Thai authorities, however, are more diligent in arresting and jailing paedophiles who can face more than 15 years in jail for sexually abusing minors. (dpa)