Street vendors illegally selling fireworks were arrested by a squad of undercover officers.
Agents from Pattaya City Hall, Banglamung District and the Pattaya Police Station inspected the Jomtien beach in plainclothes Jan. 27, swooping in on a number of sellers of firecrackers and floating lanterns.
The crackdown came after complaints from residents of beachfront condominiums that the firecrackers were the last straw for them. They had put up with garbage on the beach and traffic jams, but months of pyrotechnics have robbed them of sleep and pushed them over the edge.
It was particularly bad around the Soi Chaiyapruek intersection where firecrackers are set off until 2 a.m. many nights.
Unable to catch anyone actually setting off fireworks, police threatened to throw the book at street hawkers, saying if they were caught again, they’d be fined for creating a public nuisance, litter and even sent to prison for their role in sparking fires or explosions.
The fine for using fireworks is 1,000 baht. If pieces of the firecrackers are left on the street, that’s litter and carries a 2,000-baht fine. If the fireworks cause a fire or property damage, the penalty can be as much as seven years in prison and 140,000 baht in fines.
