Kuwaiti Tourists Claim Pattaya Police Extortion Scheme
Kuwaiti tourists in Pattaya reported being repeatedly stopped by uniformed police who demanded cash payments of 3,500-5,000 baht and issued grocery store receipts instead of official citations, refusing alternative payment methods or police
A group of Kuwaiti tourists aged 20 to 30 has alleged systematic extortion by uniformed police officers in Pattaya following traffic stops. The tourists claim they were repeatedly apprehended, forced to pay cash fines of 3,500 to 5,000 baht at isolated locations, and issued what turned out to be grocery store receipts rather than official police documents. When they requested to pay fines at a police station or provided previously issued receipts as proof of payment, officers allegedly rejected their requests and claimed the receipts were fake.
The group said officers refused all payment methods except cash and demanded an additional 500 baht just to receive a receipt. They were told they would have to pay at an unidentified vehicle impound facility in Pattaya and warned that motorcycles would be impounded if they did not comply. Some nights the tourists were stopped and fined between two and five times. Though they acknowledged committing traffic violations and said they would accept proper legal prosecution, they described the officers' conduct as "scarier than criminals" and provided journalists with secretly recorded videos and receipts as evidence of the alleged scheme.
