The receipt scandal has led to the transfer of three Pattaya City patrol officers to the Operations Center and the appointment of a fact-finding committee. The station commander stressed they are not complacent and emphasized that it is still too early to determine if any offense occurred, as they are tracking down the Kuwaiti tourist complainant to obtain testimony specifying the incident location, payment methods, and other details.
A group of Kuwaiti tourists aged roughly 20-30 years filed complaints with reporters after visiting Pattaya over the past month. They claimed that uniformed police repeatedly stopped and fined them for alleged traffic violations under suspicious circumstances, presenting secretly recorded videos and receipts as evidence, as previously reported.
At 12:00 on 15 July 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Siriwat Kachamat, deputy chief of Pattaya City Police’s crime suppression unit, revealed that after the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander and Pattaya City Police Chief learned of the case, they immediately ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee chaired by him to expedite the investigation.
Initially, officers appearing in the video clips were ordered to report temporarily to the Pattaya City Police Operations Center while awaiting the investigation results. It was stressed that no conclusion about wrongdoing has been reached yet, as authorities are still seeking the Kuwaiti tourists’ statements to clarify incident locations, payment details, and other relevant information to support the inquiry.
Lt. Col. Siriwat confirmed that if the investigation finds the officers guilty, the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander has instructed strict disciplinary and criminal prosecution without leniency. Regarding the receipts shown by the tourists, the deputy chief stated that preliminary checks confirm they are not official receipts from Pattaya City Police Station. Further questioning of the complainants is needed to identify the source of those receipts to aid the investigation. The speed of the inquiry depends on the complainants’ cooperation; authorities are ready to proceed once statements are obtained.
Lt. Col. Siriwat urged tourists visiting Pattaya who feel they have been treated unfairly or exploited by police or others to report directly at Pattaya City Police Station or via the Chonburi Provincial Police 112 hotline, available 24 hours. He assured that police are committed to fairness for all parties and asked tourists to trust the Thai police’s adherence to principles of integrity, transparency, and prompt action in all cases within Pattaya.
Recently, an urgent order from Pattaya City Police Station, No. 133/2026, dated 14 July 2026, was issued following online reports alleging that an unidentified man claiming to be a Pattaya police officer arrested someone over traffic violations, demanded cash fines, and issued cash receipts, prompting complaints via social media. The inquiry identified the following officers involved:
1. Corporal Kittikhun Fonruang
2. Sergeant Major Nutthadol Malee
3. Police Corporal Kiattisak Saenpathom
All are patrol unit leaders in the crime suppression section.
They have been temporarily assigned to the Pattaya City Police Operations Center under the supervision of Lt. Col. Siriwat Kachamat, deputy chief of crime suppression, effective from 15 July 2026 until further notice.
This measure aims to ensure transparency during the investigation and to avoid interference with police duties. Should wrongdoing be confirmed, strict disciplinary and legal actions will follow promptly.
Signed by Police Lieutenant Colonel Kosala Ngamphong, deputy investigation chief of Pattaya City Police Station, acting police chief of Pattaya City Police Station.