Pattaya punch-up: Indian men’s street brawl goes viral
A viral video on Thai social media platforms showed three Indian men involved in a physical altercation in the middle of the road in Pattaya. The motive for the incident has not been made public.
The video, shared on social media and by several news agencies yesterday, June 30, featured two Indian men in striped shirts attacking another Indian man in black clothes on a road later identified as South Pattaya Road, outside the Marine Plaza Hotel.
A Thai woman, believed to be the girlfriend of the Indian man in black clothes, intervened in the assault before the video cut off.
Amarin TV reported that the altercation took place at approximately 6.10am on Saturday, June 29, near Soi South Pattaya 16. The location is reportedly always busy with both domestic and foreign tourists, as the alley leads to Pattaya Walking Street. Most of the stalls in the area are Indian and Arab restaurants.
A witness told the media that he saw Indian men arguing at the scene but considered it normal, as it frequently happens in the area, especially among drunk Indian nationals.
The witness stated that he did not pay much attention to the argument until the brawl broke out. He did not know the motive for the altercation. According to the witness, officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station arrived and brought the situation under control.
Locals in Pattaya urged the police and relevant officials to take action on the issue as fights between Indian nationals were becoming too common in Pattaya.
In a related report, a 38 year old Vietnamese man was attacked by two fellow countrymen outside a restaurant in the South Pattaya neighbourhood on June 25. The man explained that the assault was motivated by a debt of 1.4 million baht.
The Vietnamese victim reported that he travelled to Thailand to collect the debt from the two attackers after they fled to a restaurant in Pattaya.
Police conducted further investigation and later arrested the two Vietnamese attackers. They admitted to physically assaulting the victim but denied that the motive was debt. They claimed that the victim insulted their parents, prompting them to launch an attack out of anger.
