Pattaya taxi turf war leaves four ride-share drivers severely injured
An otherwise quiet alleyway in Pattaya erupted in violence at around 2.30am today when an eruption of animosity between rival motorbike taxi groups led to a serious altercation.
The stand-off which unfolded nearby a popular tourist spot, Central Mall, and within a stone’s throw of the Pattaya Police Station, involved traditional orange-vested motorbike taxi riders, known as Win, and ride-sharing riders from the Bolt app, leaving four of the latter group nursing grave injuries, including one with a nearly severed finger.
Pattaya Police were alerted to the brawl, which lurked at the entrance to Soi 9 on Pattaya Second Road in the bustling Banglamung district. Upon arrival at the scene, they were met with a scattering of broken glass bottles and fresh bloodstains but no sign of the perpetrators themselves. However, nearby security camera footage painted a vivid picture: A throng of young men, evidently fleeing, being pursued by an armed raid of foes wielding knives and baseball bats.
Unsuspecting tourists seated nearby were caught up in the scenario, their disturbed reactions caught on camera. Following the altercation, Pattaya Hospital confirmed that they had treated four individuals that had been involved in the incident.
The first, identified as Khajornsak, a 24 year old Bolt rider, was treated for multiple contusions on his body. The second patient, 27 year old Krisida, suffered a cut to his left arm. The third, a 20 year old named Kittisak, came in with a back cut and head wound, and the last of the injured, 24 year old Ittiphan, had his left index finger severely damaged.
In recounting the scenario, Khajornsak revealed to The Pattaya News that he had unknowingly ventured into a region close to a motorbike taxi stand while picking up a customer from a hotel.
An unidentifiable Win rider accosted him and instructed him to stop his operation in the area. When Khajornsak questioned this, he was allegedly physically assaulted. Despite attempting to flee, he was surrounded and eventually beaten up by the gang of Win riders.
Injured to the extent that he required 11 stitches, Ittiphan added a grisly layer to the story. He said that his finger had been sliced by a Win driver wielding a knife, the strike was so forceful that it reached the bone of his digit.
Prior to this violent encounter, Ittiphan, along with Krisada, had tried to find Khajornsak on Pattaya Second Road but were laid to siege by a gang of Win drivers who unleashed an arsenal of bats and knives. Going further, Ittiphan alleged that one individual had threatened Krisada with a gun.
Providing a bystander’s perspective, 58 year old Wichan, recalled witnessing both groups in a frenzied clash, noting that both sides were well-armed. He did affirm, however, that he couldn’t determine which faction initiated the assault.
The Pattaya Police, while attending the crime scene and directing their efforts towards identifying the Win riders involved with the aid of CCTV footage, expressed their disappointment at the incident. They emphasised that this savage occurrence tarnishes Pattaya’s image as a family-friendly tourist destination.
