Pattaya finally moved against scammers illegally charging people for parking on Beach Road, and used the empty area to create marked vehicle spaces.
Following months of complaints about people commandeering the southern end of the shoreline roadway, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh directed city hall enforcement officers to patrol the alcove near the old pier site where barriers once had been placed to block it off to parking.
The deputy mayor noted that the barriers had been moved and claimed it was homeless people using flashlights to direct cars to park, charging Thais 40-60 baht and foreigners up to 200 baht.
Video clips, however, showed the supposed “homeless” to be quite well dressed, organized and resembling members of local crime gangs.
Ronakit Ekasingh said the alcove also will be painted with parking-slot lines to provide the promised spots for tourists visiting the beach.