Pattaya police crack down on Kuwaiti street racers disrupting traffic
In the busy streets of South Pattaya, the rising clamour of Middle Eastern street racers revving their engines late into the night has become a troublesome traffic disturbance for locals and businesses alike. The continual uproar has driven some hotel guests to cancel their stays, according to hotel operators in the area.
Early this morning, law enforcement officers from the Pattaya police station descended upon Soi Yen Sabai in South Pattaya. They were responding to numerous complaints from locals about a group of primarily Kuwaiti young adults causing a commotion with their rented, souped-up motorcycles.
The complaints stated that these young men were not just making a ruckus with their revving engines, but also inconveniencing others by haphazardly parking their vehicles all over the alley. This cavalier attitude included parking in front of houses without permission and recklessly driving loudly up and down the street, disregarding traffic laws. The disgruntled residents and guests also said that the riders didn’t wear helmets and did not have valid driving licenses or insurance, reported The Pattaya News.
On their arrival at around 1am, the police discovered the street within Soi Yen Sabai fully blocked by parked motorcycles, causing a logjam that prevented normal traffic from getting through. Efforts by law enforcement to disperse the group by deploying patrol cars with sirens and making announcements were met with indifference. The group stood around, watching the police with obvious amusement.
By the end of the confrontation, the police had confiscated 15 motorcycles disrupting traffic. They are planning to initiate legal proceedings against the tourists and the agencies who rented out the vehicles.
A hotelier who wished to remain anonymous said that the perpetual noise was causing hotel guests to check out early. He appealed to the authorities to enforce the law more strictly against such disruptive tourists.
The issue of traffic accidents involving Middle Eastern tourists seems to be on the rise in Pattaya. On July 17, in a case highlighting traffic safety issues, a Kuwaiti tourist sustained severe leg injuries after scraping against a traffic barrier while riding as a passenger on a motorcycle.
To address this escalating situation, Pattaya Police have tried collaborating with the Kuwati ambassador, by requesting he educated their citizens on the traffic rules in Thailand. However, this has so far seemed ineffectual. With the continuing disturbances and increasing accidents, the demand for stricter enforcement is growing progressively louder among the local populace.
