There was blood, a misunderstanding, and hurt pride at Thailand’s hot spot for tourists this week.
But before we get into the action of who struck who, I better telescope it, because there were two incidents, two Tours of Buddah’s Land, and they both happened.
The 4am Brawl on Soi Buakhao
It all started with an argument, or dispute—from what I was hearing in the rush of tourists the issue was money. A foreign tourist (whose name was suppressed) allegedly tried to walk away from a service fee of a cash transaction made the night previous with a local lady boy named Panya, 38 years old. She claims she tried to leave but the drunk tourist demanded they go out for a beer.
What happened next is never a pretty sight: voices raised, drunk tourist strikes out, and after that you had a snowball of three to four motorbike taxi drivers who were probably doing what they perceived was the right thing to do but ultimately it ended up escalating things.
Then Panya punched the tourist who punched back and the next thing you know the tourist was meat first into the pavement with blood running from his head. There was a 911 call, the police and ambulance services showed up quickly to fix the tourist who was patched up and taken away to the hospital.
The local police are examining the CCTV footage. Eyewitness accounts are all over the place. Panya says that the ojek drivers were merely defending themselves. Then there was another witness who claimed the tourist went full berserk and was using random objects on the street as weapons. A group of foreign witnesses claimed that taxi drivers took it too far, claiming the drivers had instigated everything.
We aren’t sure if one group is worse than the other yet.
A Week Earlier – More Mayhem
If you think this was a one-off…
A U.S. tourist, named Saber, left bloodied and bruised after an assault on the purpose-built, well lit, and even loveable Soi 6.
Saber said he was simply walking home around 4:30 AM after being approached by two transgender sex workers. What many people refer to as flirting quickly lashed out into aggression. Saber later stated that one of these transgender individuals reached into his pocket and stole 3,000 baht. Then when Saber finally called them out, all went downhill fast, including physically by way of a rock to the head!
Reports claim the attack left Saber bleeding heavily, and ditto the same dilapidated state, the emergency services had to intervene again!
So What’s Going On in Pattaya Really?
It’s a nightlife hotspot for sure, but when you have bars, alcohol and blurred lines, things can get out of hand pretty quickly if things escalate. The latest incidents have certainly raised alarm over safety, for tourists as well as local residents.
The police are still determining what really happened; they are reviewing their surveillance footage. they are interviewing witnesses, and in the meantime, the streets of Pattaya continuing buzzing with its usual unpredictable nightlife.
Moral of the story? Respect can go a long way when you’re visiting someone else’s country. And maybe—just maybe—don’t get into a fight at 4 AM.
