PATTAYA - Three policemen in Pattaya have been transferred to inactive posts for allegedly collecting off-the-books fines from Kuwaiti motorcyclists who violated traffic rules.
Pol Lt Col Kosala Ngampong, the acting Pattaya police chief, has sidelined a senior sergeant major, a sergeant major and a sergeant pending an investigation by a committee of senior officers at the station, according to local reports.
The moves followed a complaint from a group of Kuwaiti tourists who said they were frequent visitors to the tourist city in Chon Buri.
They told reporters on Tuesday that they often visited Pattaya and rode motorcycles in ways that they acknowledged could breach traffic rules.
When they were caught, the same group of three policemen usually showed up to fine them at high rates of 2,500 to 5,000 baht, the visitors said, adding that there were two to five such arrests each night over the past month.
The Kuwaiti tourists said they had to pay the fines; otherwise, their motorcycles would be confiscated.
However, they said, the policemen usually fined them in deserted areas and had another man receive the money from them. The officers accepted cash only and prohibited them from paying fines at the police station.
Moreover, the Kuwaitis said they were surprised to find out later that the “receipts” they were given were nothing more than the simple cash receipts that old-fashioned grocers use.
Public complaints about Kuwaiti motorcyclists in Pattaya have been a recurring issue, mostly to do with reckless driving, stunts, street racing at all hours and loud modified exhaust systems.
The frequency of violations prompted Pattaya City Police to hold meetings with Kuwaiti Embassy representatives to curb the disturbances and educate visitors about local traffic laws.
