Hundreds of motorcyclists are stopped on the streets of Pattaya every day both Thais and foreigners. You get stopped and ticketed for a minor infringement such as not wearing a helmet or not carrying a driving licensce and it's off to Pattaya Police Station on Soi 10 to join the queue to hand over a few pink 100 Baht notes to the duty officer in the "Pay your Fines" queue. There is a menu in multiple languages that announces the standard rate for each type of transgression.
Rumours abound, and they are only rumours that if one offers a bung to help the traffic officer to buy some more tea bags then the long and time wasting trip to the Nick can be avoided.
Two groups of Middle Eastern gentlemen made their way to Pattaya Police Station complaining that their traffic stops went far and beyond the "normal" rules when the officers involved requested bungs that would have enabled them to buy cases of boxes of tea bags.
Pol.Col. Supphathee The Acting Superintendent of Pattaya city police station was on duty to listen to the complaints. The first up was a Mr. Badas a first time Kuwaiti tourist who was riding a camel, sorry a motorcycle in Pattaya when he got pulled over. He was asked to pay a 2,000 Baht fine. He thought this was outrageous and called a friend to come and discuss the matter. A verbal altercation took place with allegations of he said this and he said that. Whatever the camel rider, sorry motorcycle rider took the hump and had come down to lodge a formal complaint.
Next up was a Dubai tourist Mr Damis who had been stopped for driving carelessly. The traffic cop then spent an hour berating him at which point it gets blurry but it seams a women came into the police box and money was handed over.
Blurriness and rumours of tea money money being handed over are no big thing however it turns out that this police officer was the same traffic cop that was involved in an incident a few months ago where he was caught on camera slapping a female Russian tourist that he had stopped.
Are Middle eastern tourists being targeted because their are fewer Russians on the streets? or is Pattaya still an equal opportunity International Resort.
