Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh reminded Pattaya regulatory enforcement officers of their duty to serve, not abuse, the public after one was fired for assaulting a ferry owner in a video broadcast on the Internet.
Chertsit Boonkliang was pressured to resign following the Feb. 11 incident at Bali Hai Pier in which he punched and kicked Nattapong Poothasuwannasuk after the boat owner complained about Chertsit and his partner, Tanongsak Pisit, backing their truck into his motorbike. An onlooker recorded the video to the YouTube website, where it has been viewed more than 12,000 times.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (left) addresses Pattaya’s 240 municipal officers, reminding them they must show respect to residents and tourists while maintaining peace and order in the city.
At a Feb. 20 assembly, Ronakit upbraided the city’s 240 municipal officers, reminding them they must show respect to residents and tourists while maintaining peace and order in the city. Chonburi’s governor ordered city officials to inspect and evaluate officers and terminate anyone not upholding their duties, he said.
Officers were split into groups and sent for remedial training on how to uphold their duties while dealing properly with the public.
The video, posted online Feb. 12, showed Nattapong demanding an apology from the officers for hitting his bike. Instead, he got angry bluster from Chertsit, who could be heard saying, “What are you going to do about it? Who are you? Do you have any idea what kind of problems I have already been through?”
Chertsit then starts the fist fight, punching Nattapong and kicking him after he fell. Tanongsak and others broke up the melee, which lasted about 15 minutes.
