Pattaya beach vendor man lights up in drug-fuelled meltdown
A former beach vendor left jobless and strung out on drugs sparked chaos in Pattaya when he torched his rented room in a fiery fit of frustration.
A meth-addled ex-beach mat renter went up in flames, literally, after losing his livelihood, torching his rented digs in a Soi Buakhao side street during the early hours of today, June 10.
Pattaya police were alerted at 2.30am to a fire and a suspect being restrained by locals in Soi Buakhao 15. Lieutenant Colonel Alis Puangwai, Deputy Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, led the rapid response to the scene.
There, residents and a hotel security guard had already nabbed the suspect, 35 year old Boonmee Phubpaen, better known as Thong, who was found bloodied, dazed, and slumped inside the charred remains of what appeared to be a small, abandoned rental room.
The room was wrecked: burnt furniture, scorched mats and singed scraps of wood lay scattered. A closer look in the bathroom turned up a knife and foil used for smoking meth, which officers seized as evidence.
Boonmee came clean to police, admitting he had once earned a crust renting mats to tourists on Pattaya Beach, until city officials cracked down and confiscated his gear. With no income and nowhere to turn, he spiralled into drug use.
High and hopeless, he told police he set fire to a sofa, wood, and clothing in a moment of madness to release his rage.
Security guard Somjai Kaikrathok, who helped restrain the suspect, told Pattaya News that he was doing his usual rounds when he caught the smell of smoke.
“I followed it to the room and saw flames inside. A few nearby people helped put it out with water and extinguishers. After the fire was out, we found him hiding in the bathroom and possibly still using drugs.”
Police took Boonmee into custody for drug testing while awaiting the property owner to press charges. Legal proceedings are set to follow once the full extent of the damage is assessed.
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