Police in Pattaya have instructed motorbike operators to keep a “strict eye” on renters from the Middle East, with many accused of creating disturbances through road racing in the area.
According to a Nation Thailand report, police say local residents have repeatedly filed complaints over disturbances caused by Middle Eastern men on rented motorbikes.
The complaints have singled out young men from Kuwait in particular, who are accused of racing motorbikes on Pattaya’s roads, while revving their engines loudly in the early hours of the morning, disturbing locals who are trying to sleep.
According to the report, police in Pattaya carried out a raid at 1.00am on July 31, in which they confiscated 15 motorbikes being ridden by a group of Kuwaiti men. The men were accused of creating a disturbance on Yen Sabai Road, in the district of Bang Lamung.
The raid followed complaints from local commuters who said they were unable to use the road as the motorbike riders had blocked the entrance to the thoroughfare, along with the entrances to people’s homes. Local residents have accused the men of travelling in groups, while revving their engines loudly.
Yesterday, Thanapong Phothi, chief of Pattaya Police, met with local motorbike operators at the police station. The meeting was also attended by immigration police, tourist police, and Pattaya-based officials from the Interior Ministry.
Addressing the motorbike rental operators, Thanapong reiterated the importance of checking renters’ driving licences, along with their passports, before handing over a bike. Operators were reminded that they are required to keep copies of all such documents in the event of renters creating a disturbance on the road.
Thanapong also told operators they must remind all customers of traffic laws in Thailand, including the requirement to wear helmets while on a motorbike.
Meanwhile Arus Sapanon from Pattaya Tourist Police says embassies in countries where the road racers come from have been informed of the situation, in the hope that they will remind their citizens that they must obey Thailand’s traffic laws.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
