An East Pattaya laundry owner upset with police action took a case of alleged extortion by police impersonators to the public.
Chayanan Kongkhathong, 42, owner of Maem Laundry in Baan Chartkaew Village 9 in Nongprue, told the media May 29 that five men claiming to be police came to her shop after hours and demanded cash, claiming she was selling counterfeit clothing.
Spotting a security camera, the men quickly left without taking any cash.
Chayanan said she reported the extortion attempt and police impersonation to real officers, and showed them the CCTV footage, but they did nothing, claiming the men had not done anything.
She then released the footage and told her story on social media. She said her intent was not to shame the police, but raise awareness about crime problems in Pattaya. At least one online commenter said they recognized the group, saying they had tried the same scam on a beauty parlor in Jomtien Beach in March.