Last week Police top brass held a parade to rally the troops in preparation for The Songkran Mayhem in Pattaya. Their task to keep the city, the locals and especially the foreign tourists, whose tourist dollars fuel the local economy, safe.
More tourists in Pattaya mean more targets for the lazy members of society who see committing crime much easier than doing a hard days graft.
A group of 10 Chinese tourists who had hired two Baht buses to take them to North Pattaya unknowingly made themselves a lucrative target as they traveled along Sukhumvit Road. One of them was sporting a large 3 Baht gold necklace with a fancy jade ornament.
Thieves on two motorcycles had spotted their mark, pulled alongside the Baht bus and attempted to snatch the necklace from around the neck of Mr. Ten Chin Lan aged 35. The tourist resisted the attempt and he and his fellow travelers dismounted the Baht bus and dismounted the thieving snatchers - holding them until the police arrived.
Khun Pirapon aged 18 was arrested for highway robbery and two other suspects have been earmarked to be mopped up later.
