PATTAYA, Thailand – A team of over 10 officers rushed to the scene of a disturbance in the middle of Walking Street, South Pattaya, at 9:00 AM on March 25, after being alerted by security personnel at the scene. They reported that a foreign tourist had gone into frenzy, taking a Thai woman hostage and threatening locals with a shark-bottle knife.
Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found a 21-year-old Tunisian man in a state of agitation, holding the shark-bottle knife to the throat of the Thai woman. The man appeared to be accusing the woman of stealing his money. Police immediately began negotiations, which led the Tunisian man to release the woman, before running into a nearby entertainment venue.
After more than an hour of failed negotiations, the police decided to forcibly enter the establishment and arrest the suspect. The foreign tourist had been verbally abusing the officers throughout the ordeal and was seen making obscene gestures at them. He was eventually subdued and taken to the local police station for further investigation.
Ms. Sukanya, 44, the owner of the beer bar where the incident occurred, explained that the Tunisian man had come to the bar with the Thai woman, who worked there. They had played pool and drank beer together. At one point, the intoxicated man became agitated and accused the woman of stealing his money. Despite her denial, the man went into frenzy, smashing a beer bottle into a sharp weapon and chasing patrons in the bar. He then took the Thai woman hostage and threatened everyone to stay away. Ms. Sukanya immediately called the police.
Ms. Nan (a pseudonym), 34, who knew the Tunisian man from Pattaya Beach, stated that the man had been heavily intoxicated and paid the bar bill with only 500 Baht in cash. She confirmed that she was accused of stealing his money, despite paying the bill, and was subsequently held hostage by him.
Security personnel from the Pattaya City Security Department reported that they had been alerted by locals about the foreign tourist’s outburst. Upon arriving at the scene, they saw the man holding the Thai woman hostage with the shark-bottle knife. They attempted to intervene, but the man released the woman and ran into a nightclub before police arrived to control the situation.
The Tunisian tourist was taken into custody and brought to the Pattaya City Police Station, where he remained heavily intoxicated, incoherent, and continued to verbally abuse the officers. He was later charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication and will face legal proceedings.
