Three Pattaya police officers have been moved to administrative duties after a group of Kuwaiti tourists accused them of demanding cash only traffic fines in secluded locations and issuing receipts that turned out not to be official, according to several news sources. Pattaya City Police ordered the transfer on July 15, a day after the tourists brought their complaint to local reporters, and appointed a committee to investigate.
The tourists, aged between 20 and 30, said they had traveled to Pattaya several times over the past month and acknowledged committing genuine traffic violations while riding motorcycles. They said they had no objection to paying legitimate fines through normal channels. Their concern, they said, was that they were repeatedly stopped by the same group of officers, taken to isolated spots rather than a police station, and charged fines ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 baht in cash only.
According to the complaint, officers refused requests to settle the fines at a police station or impound area and instead had another individual collect the money on scene. When the tourists later asked for proof of payment, they were given slips that resembled receipts from a small shop rather than an official police document. Getting a receipt at all reportedly required an extra, unofficial payment. The tourists said they grew suspicious after comparing the paperwork with fines issued to them earlier in their trip and became convinced the newer receipts had not come from Pattaya City Police Station.
The pattern allegedly escalated after a minor motorcycle collision involving members of the group. The tourists said the same officers who normally stopped them arrived at the scene and imposed further fines using the same cash only process, despite the visitors being unclear about what offense had occurred.
The three officers named in the complaint, Police Senior Sergeant Major Kittikhun, Police Sergeant Major Nutdol and Police Sergeant Kiattisak, have been temporarily reassigned to the Pattaya City Police operations center while the fact finding committee gathers evidence. Acting Pattaya Police Chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Kosala Ngamphong signed the transfer order and appointed the committee to review the allegations.
Police have said the transfers are meant to keep the investigation transparent and prevent any interference with the review of evidence, which includes video the tourists say they recorded during some of the roadside stops, along with copies of the disputed receipts. If the committee confirms wrongdoing, the officers involved could face both internal discipline and criminal charges, according to several news sources.
The case has drawn attention beyond Pattaya because it involves foreign tourists and touches on long standing concerns about roadside enforcement targeting visitors in Thailand’s resort towns. Tourism officials and legal advisers have previously urged foreign visitors to request specific details of any alleged offense, insist on paying fines at a police station rather than at the roadside, and keep all documentation in case of a dispute.
