Three Pattaya police reassigned over cash fines and unofficial receipts

Three patrol officers at Pattaya City Police Station have been temporarily reassigned while authorities investigate allegations that Kuwaiti tourists were required to pay traffic fines in cash and were given receipts that were not official police documents.

The tourists, aged about 20 to 30, approached the media after visiting Pattaya during the previous month. They alleged that uniformed officers had repeatedly stopped and fined them for traffic violations under suspicious circumstances.

They submitted secretly recorded video clips and receipts as evidence. The documents reportedly resembled ordinary cash-sale slips rather than official government receipts.

Fact-finding panel established

Pol Lt Col Siriwat Katchamat, deputy superintendent for crime prevention at Pattaya City Police Station, said the Chonburi provincial police commander and the Pattaya police chief had ordered an immediate fact-finding investigation after learning of the allegations.

Pol Lt Col Siriwat was appointed to chair the investigation panel, which has been instructed to complete its work as quickly as possible.

The officers seen in the video were temporarily assigned to the Pattaya police operations centre while the inquiry proceeds.

Police stressed that the reassignment was intended to ensure transparency and prevent the officers from affecting official duties during the investigation. It did not constitute a finding of guilt.

Police seek testimony from tourists

Investigators have not yet reached a conclusion because they still need statements from the Kuwaiti complainants.

Police want the tourists to identify the locations where they were stopped, explain how the alleged payments were made and provide further details about the people who issued the receipts.

Pol Lt Col Siriwat said the speed of the investigation would depend partly on how soon the tourists could be contacted and brought in for questioning.

Once their statements are obtained, investigators will be able to compare the accounts with the video evidence, the receipts and information supplied by the officers.

Receipts not issued by Pattaya police

A preliminary examination found that the receipts presented by the tourists were not issued by Pattaya City Police Station.

However, investigators still need to determine who provided the documents and under what circumstances.

The fact that the receipts were not official police documents does not by itself establish who issued them or whether the officers under investigation committed an offence.

Police therefore said further testimony from the complainants was essential before any definitive findings could be made.

Three officers named in transfer order

Pattaya City Police Station Order No. 133/2569, issued after the allegations circulated on social media, identified three non-commissioned patrol officers involved in the preliminary inquiry:

• Pol Snr Sgt Maj Kittikhun, whose surname was withheld
• Pol Snr Sgt Maj Nutadon, whose surname was withheld
• Pol Snr Sgt Maj Kiattisak, whose surname was withheld

All three serve in the station’s crime-prevention and suppression division.

They were ordered to report temporarily to the Pattaya City Police Station operations centre from July 15 until further notice. 

Disciplinary and criminal action possible

Police said the Chonburi provincial police commander had instructed investigators to pursue both disciplinary and criminal proceedings if the inquiry establishes that any officer committed wrongdoing.

Authorities pledged that there would be no exceptions or protection for officers found responsible.

Police also encouraged tourists who believe they have been treated unfairly or exploited by officials or other individuals to report their complaints directly to Pattaya City Police Station or contact the Chonburi provincial police hotline, which operates around the clock.