4 Pattaya taxi riders and bar guards arrested for attacking 2 foreigners

Four Thai men, including motorcycle taxi riders and bar security guards, were arrested after a viral video showed them attacking two foreigners during Songkran celebrations in Pattaya.

The video was shared by the SiamChon News Facebook page on April 13 with a caption claiming that Pattaya motorcycle taxi riders attacked a foreign tourist in Soi Pattaya 6 after he sprayed water at them.

In the footage, four to five Thai men are seen attacking a foreign man in a white shirt in the middle of the alley. Three of the attackers appeared to be wearing orange motorcycle taxi vests.

Another foreign man in a blue shirt then stepped in to help his friend, but was also attacked. A witness told the page that the two foreigners had gone to the area to join the Songkran water fight and sprayed water at a group of taxi riders, which led to the assault.

Gang attack on 2 foreigners in Pattaya
Photo via Facebook/ สยามชล นิวส์

Mueang Pattaya Police Station initially told the media that neither side had filed a complaint. However, the video drew strong criticism from Thai netizens, prompting police to take action.

Yesterday, April 15, police summoned six suspects for questioning, including motorcycle taxi riders and bar guards. The report stated that the group admitted to attacking the two foreigners but claimed the pair had first assaulted a Thai man taking part in the water fight.

Assault in Pattaya Songkran Festival
Photo via Facebook/ สยามชล นิวส์

The suspects said they stepped in to help the Thai man and then became involved in a heated argument with the foreigners before the violence escalated.

Police are now trying to identify the two foreigners and summon them for questioning as part of further legal action. No charges have yet been announced against the suspects.

According to the report, the two motorcycle taxi riders are under probation. No penalty details were given for the security guards.

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.