Jun wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 6:16 pm
I've never heard of the US ever convicting anyone for a road traffic offence abroad.
Of course not - because the US has never had such a problem so there has never been a need. We can waste time by guessing what the US would do if people from the US were doing what Kuwaitis do in Thailand, but to me that is irrelevant to the problem with Kuwaitis and merely academic. But the Kuwaitis really are causing these problems. Don't you think their government should, along with the Thai police, be doing something to put an end to it?
Their people go to Thailand and intentionally cause these problems and by anyone's standards knowingly are behaving illegally doing it. While I agree it is primarily a problem for Pattaya to deal with, the Kuwaiti government also ought to be doing what they can do to put a stop to it - and there is plenty they can do.
Do I think the Kuwait government really will do much of anything about it? No.
Gaybutton wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 6:28 pmDon't you think their government should, along with the Thai police, be doing something to put an end to it?
Well here's what I think about who is responsible:
Kuwaiti government: No
Thai police: Yes
Thai government: Possibly
As far as we know this issue is confined to South Pattaya.
So the question is do the Pattaya authorities have a sufficient range of laws available to them to solve the problem ? If no, the government needs to add some. If Yes, the Pattaya police need to step up to the plate & do what is supposed to be their job.
The link below quotes the following penalties for certain offences. I include some examples here.:
1 Up to one year in prison and/or a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 baht for driving without regard for the safety of others.
2 Motorists who gather to race, illegally modify their vehicles or participate in suspicious activities will face up to three months in prison and/or a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 baht.
3 Shops that illegally modify vehicles also face a two-thirds penalty. Race organizers and advertisers face up to six months in prison and/or a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 baht.[/list]
If true, jailing a few dozen Kuwaitis should act as an appropriate deterrent. All Pattaya needs is effective policing, rather than some feckless wasters who just spend their lives collecting bribes.
Jun wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 7:38 pm
All Pattaya needs is effective policing
I would go as far as agreeing with you that most of what Pattaya needs is effective policing. But I don't believe it would be enough to end the problem. I also think that Kuwait needs take effective steps to prevent their people from going to Thailand with their purpose being to commit these crimes in the first place. What else are they going to Thailand for? I never see them doing anything else. And to me, that means penalties, harsh penalties, when they return to Kuwait if they were caught committing these acts in Pattaya.
Without both in place, I don't see the problem ending. But if they know they face significant penalties when they return home, I do.
And I also believe if the US knew, not just thought, but really knew, groups of their citizens are going to a foreign country to commit these kinds of offenses once they get there, the government would step in to try to prevent it. Nobody is going to convince me that the Kuwaiti government doesn't realize exactly what is going on and has been going on for years, but hasn't lifted a finger to try to do anything about it.
At the time of this post it is 8:00pm in Thailand. And I will be shocked if more of the same doesn't occur tonight, just like most every other night when these people are here.
Expecting a foreign country to take responsibility for your domestic policing is an unusual concept. Don't hold your breath waiting for that.
Taking responsibility for fixing problems in your own back yard tends to stand a better chance. That applies to people, companies, towns and countries.
They could start here, by utilising this fine facility:
Are the police finally doing something that makes sense?
and press charges against them and also their parents if any violations are found.
I've been saying that for years, but I don't recall seeing much of anything in past articles about going after the parents too, which is what they should have been doing all along. If those teens are minors, then the parents are ultimately responsible. If the parents are charged and heavily fined too, my guess is the problem will end that day. I also believe if those teens are out there intentionally endangering people and causing other disturbances, then the motorbikes ought to be confiscated.
Unfortunately slap-on-the-wrist punishments have proven to be totally ineffective. If the police keep up with enforcement instead of the usual letting it fizzle out after a couple weeks, this time it just might work. But if the enforcement disappears, I don't think anyone needs me to tell you they'll all be right back at it.
Meanwhile, what about the Kuwaiti motorbike maniacs around the Sunee Plaza area? Can someone please let us know if that has been stopped or are they still at it as usual?
____________________________________________________
Chonburi Police Launch Operation to Deter Motorbike Racing
By Tanakorn Panyadee
30 July, 2023
Chonburi police on Sunday, July 30th, initiated an operation to prevent motorbike racing on main routes.
At midnight, a team of over 30 police officers from the Banglamung police station patrolled the area along Road 3009, Sukhumvit-Pattaya-Banglamung Road, and gas stations on Highway 36 in the Nong Pla Lai sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi following complaints from residents that the areas were frequented by young street racers.
The operation aimed to prevent gatherings of these racers who often engaged in dangerous speeding challenges and disturbed people.
According to the police, they will request identification checks when they encounter teenage motorbike riders and press charges against them and also their parents if any violations are found. As of yesterday, nobody was arrested.
The Pattaya News wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 7:17 amAs of yesterday, nobody was arrested.
These street races don't occur every day. It is certainly possible nobody was arrested because none of that activity was taking place, especially when it's raining. I'll be giving this more time before I start assuming this is just another piece of non-effort lip service.
these young men revved up their engines, blocked the entire alley with their vehicles, parked in front of houses without permission, and drove loudly up and down the street without any regard for traffic rules. They also claimed the riders never wore helmets and had no valid licenses or insurance.
Well, other than that what's the problem . . . ?
Seems my question about the Kuwaitis has been answered:
__________________________________________________
Police Seize 15 Rented Motorbikes as Kuwaiti Motorbike Racers Remain a Problem in Pattaya
By Tanakorn Panyadee
31 July, 2023
Residents and business operators in South Pattaya are still frustrated with the persistent presence of noisy Middle Eastern street racers gathering at night. Some hotel residents even moved from the area to avoid the unbearable nuisance, according to hotel operators.
Police officers from the Pattaya police station raided Soi Yen Sabai in South Pattaya early this morning today, July 31st, following residents’ complaints that young adults, mostly Kuwaiti nationals, had congregated in the alley and caused noise disturbances with their rented modified motorcycles.
The complaints stated that these young men revved up their engines, blocked the entire alley with their vehicles, parked in front of houses without permission, and drove loudly up and down the street without any regard for traffic rules. They also claimed the riders never wore helmets and had no valid licenses or insurance.
When the police arrived to inspect the situation at 1 AM, they found the road inside Soi Yen Sabai completely blocked by parked motorcycles, making it impossible for regular traffic to pass through.
The police then used patrol cars with sirens and made announcements to disperse the Kuwaiti group, but the group seemed indifferent and stood together, watching and somewhat seemingly amused by the authorities.
At the end of the operation, the officers seized 15 of the motorcycles that were blocking traffic and would proceed with legal actions against the tourists and the motorbike rental agencies accordingly.
The Pattaya News interviewed a hotel operator, who asked to keep his name a secret, and learned that the noisy racers had caused some of his hotel residents to move out. He urged the authorities to be more rigorous in enforcing laws against these tourists.
There are a number of recent traffic accidents involving Middle Eastern tourists in Pattaya. On July 26th, a Kuwaiti tourist risked a leg amputation when a motorbike he was pillion-ridding forcefully grazed against a traffic barrier, causing him severe leg injuries.
To tackle this issue, the Pattaya police tried working with the Kuwaiti ambassador, asking him to raise awareness about Thailand’s traffic rules among their citizens. This method, however, did not seem effective so far.
Pattaya News wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 7:17 amAs of yesterday, nobody was arrested.
31-07-2022 Newspaper Report
Pattaya News wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 5:35 pmThe police then used patrol cars with sirens and made announcements to disperse the Kuwaiti group, but the group seemed indifferent and stood together, watching and somewhat seemingly amused by the authorities.
At the end of the operation, the officers seized 15 of the motorcycles that were blocking traffic and would proceed with legal actions against the tourists and the motorbike rental agencies accordingly.
As of today, has anyone been arrested ? I don't see mention of it.
Pattaya police confiscated 15 motorcycles from a Kuwaiti gang for disturbing traffic on Yen Sabai Road in Chonburi's Bang Lamung district in the early hours of Monday morning.
In a raid led by deputy inspector Pol Captain Wuthikorn Plodprong, the police moved in on the gang at 1am after residents on Yen Sabai Road and commuters who use the road reported being affected by gang activities.
Commuters claimed that they could not use the thoroughfare because the gang parked their motorbikes in such a way as to block the road entrance as well as people’s homes. The gangs often travel in groups and rev their engines loudly.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found motorbikes parked on both sides of Yen Sabai Road, obstructing traffic.
Using sirens to attract the bikers’ attention, the authorities ordered the Kuwaiti gang to move their motorbikes out of the area. The gang chose to ignore the warning and stood watching the police. Officers then confiscated 15 bikes and informed the riders they would be prosecuted.
An unidentified store owner said that these events are a daily occurrence. These gangs like to park their bikes, obstruct traffic, and rev their engines loudly, sometimes doing burnouts and honking loudly in groups.
The store owner added that he was unable to sleep at night out of fear of an attack and urged the police to prosecute these tourists and the store that rented the vehicles to them.
A hotel security guard added that many guests had reported similar incidents and some had even moved to different hotels.
