Turkish heroes in Pattaya: Tourists intervene in domestic violence

In the ‘sin city’ of Pattaya, two Turkish visitors aided in what might have been a dangerous situation for a Cambodian woman. They found themselves inadvertently becoming heroes, when they intervened to stop a man from Cambodia, who, in the early hours of yesterday morning, seemed to be pursuing his girlfriend with violent intentions. This incident occurred on Pattaya Klang Road today at approximately 2am.

Pattaya police arrived rapidly at the scene to find the Turkish men beating the Cambodian man, and halted further tussles among the three individuals. Thirty-three year old Valkan Goglbankan and 23 year old Ibrshim Gokhan Bostan suffered minor injuries in the process, while 36 year old Sopin Ran, the Cambodian man, sustained a cut on his lip and noticeable bruising.

Alongside these individuals, two Thai women, who are thought to be companions of the Turkish men, and an unidentified woman, presumed to be Sopin’s girlfriend, were present at the scene. All six individuals were escorted for questioning to the Pattaya Police Station, The Pattaya News reported.

Upon questioning, Sopin admitted to having a verbal disagreement with his girlfriend earlier. He was in the process of trailing her with his motorbike across Pattaya Klang Road, where he knocked her vehicle intentionally, trying to physically halt her from escaping. Suddenly, both Turkish men, who were passing by on their motorbike, jumped in to attack him, Sopin said.

Upon further investigation, police were able to questions the Thai women at the scene. They said that after noticing Sopin assaulting a woman, Goglbankan and Bostan decided to intervene. Initially, they enquired about Sopin’s intentions, only to be met with harsh directives to mind their own business. Upon witnessing Sopin’s continuous aggression towards his girlfriend, the duo found it necessary to step in physically.

The police have yet to release any statements from Sopin’s unnamed girlfriend, as she was a victim of domestic violence. Police are in the process of carefully investigating the versions of the story presented by all the parties involved, to ascertain a complete picture of the events that transpired.