PATTAYA, Thailand – As the Pattaya Water Festival reached its peak, alarming reports emerged of organized gangs targeting festival-goers and pilfering their belongings. On the evening of April 19, tourists from various nations converged to celebrate in the Songkran festivities along Pattaya Beach Road. However, their jubilant revelry turned into a nightmare as they fell prey to criminal elements.
The perpetrators absconded with a substantial amount of cash, comprising both Thai baht and foreign currency, along with mobile phones, credit cards, and essential documents. Despite the concerted efforts by Pattaya authorities to fortify safety measures through heightened patrols and surveillance, many affected individuals expressed grave concerns regarding the adequacy of the festival’s security arrangements.
In the aftermath of the incidents, the afflicted tourists are imploring law enforcement to swiftly arrest the culprits and initiate legal proceedings. Their apprehensions extend beyond the potential tarnishing of Pattaya’s reputation as a tourist hotspot, encompassing profound anxieties about the retrieval of crucial documents.
With tens of thousands of tourists converging on Pattaya for the Water Festival, provincial police forged strategic partnerships with various agencies to bolster security measures and foster a secure environment for revellers. However, the vast scale of the festival has afforded opportunities for organized criminals to exploit unsuspecting victims, underscoring the imperative for heightened vigilance and expedited action from law enforcement authorities.
