PATTAYA, Thailand – A disturbing incident occurred in Pattaya, where a Bolt ride-hailing driver was attacked by a group of tourists after he refused to engage in conversation with them. The altercation took place in the area of Soi Buakhao, South Pattaya, around 3:00 AM on January 29.
The driver, Suradet Khawlamai, 29, explained that he was dispatched to pick up passengers at the Marina Pattaya South area and take them to Soi Buakhao 15. The group of five passengers consisted of two foreign men, one Thai man, and two Thai women. The foreign men appeared to be heavily intoxicated. During the ride, Suradet remained silent as the passengers conversed among themselves, but was suddenly reprimanded by them for not speaking. One of the passengers even threatened to report him to the ride-hailing app for being impolite.
Despite trying to avoid confrontation and simply driving them to their destination, the group continued to insult him and even belittled his profession. Suradet was verbally attacked with comments like, “People like you can only do a job like this.” Frustrated by the insults, the driver responded with harsh language. At that point, the group reportedly became violent and began to physically assault him, causing significant damage to his Toyota sedan.
The driver expressed his confusion over the incident, asking why he was attacked simply for not engaging in conversation. He called for the police to take serious action and ensure that justice is served.
Local police from Pattaya City Police Station have already investigated the matter and invited the tourists for questioning. The suspects admitted to the assault, citing Suradet’s use of offensive language as the reason for their actions. The police plan to hold a mediation session between both parties on Friday to resolve the issue.
