Brawl over boat pricing to Koh Larn erupts at Laem Bali Hai pier
Tourists were left in shock as a group of people herding guests aboard a boat to Koh Larn erupted into a brawl over pricing at the Laem Bali Hai pier in Chon Buri province. The video clip of the incident, which transpired yesterday, was released a day later and showed the two groups engaged in a heated and violent confrontation.
The brawl broke out to the astonishment and fear of a large number of tourists preparing to travel to and from Koh Larn. Several people were injured in the incident.
The injured party was the instigator of the brawl, explaining that he was working and bringing guests on the boat to Koh Larn for 250 baht. However, the person he fought with ordered a junior staff member to undercut his price to 150 baht for a trip to Koh Larn, leading to a verbal altercation and a physical fight.
Despite the presence of Pattaya special administrative officials attempting to maintain order, the two groups continued to attack each other, ignoring the orders to cease. Eventually, police were called in to quell the situation before the two parties could separate.
Police and special administrative officials continued to oversee tourist safety, fearing a resurgence of the conflict. Meanwhile, injured parties from both companies, the names of which were not disclosed, fled the scene.
One person involved in the fight revealed that there had been a previous issue that morning, where their opponent had attacked first. They had reported this incident to the police as evidence. Later in the evening, the opposing party encountered the instigators again, leading to the violent confrontation seen in the video clip.
During an interview, the man who was attacked said that initially, the vendors with the green shirts were soliciting guests but the guests didn’t go with them. So he sent a junior staff member to talk to them before the green shirt vendors shouted.
“Don’t talk to them, just go!”
The two parties then boarded a large passenger boat. The attacked man was not sure about the exact cause of the issue, guessing it was a personal matter between the employees.
A woman related to the aggressor in the brawl added that there had been problems for the boats to Koh Larn for a long time. She claimed that the opposing party often insulted and provoked her and her team, and always undercut her price, which was 250 baht for a round trip to Koh Larn.
The other company offered the same trip for a mere 150 baht. This constant undercutting of prices to Koh Larn and verbal abuse had been happening almost daily, leading to frequent arguments and eventually the brawl on the pier.
This is not the first time local boat operators have broken out into brawls over Koh Larn pricing. The last one to make the news was in April.
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