<div><div>Though no Thai government has ever conducted a formal survey, UNAIDS estimated in 2014 that some 123,530 sex workers operated in Thailand, with the sex industry contributing 10 per cent of the revenue that the country generates from tourism. Another study in 2003 estimated that Thailand&rsquo;s sex industry generates an annual US$4.3 billion dollars.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>While the sex industry is evidently a pillar of the country&rsquo;s economy and touches the lives of a great number of people, sex work remains outlawed in Thailand.</div></div>

<div>Female paramilitaries in the troubled Deep South are dubbed “Iron Flowers” by the military. They are assigned to use their soft side to connect with locals. This story explores whether they are successful and what obstacles they face.&nbsp;</div> <p></p>