Pattaya city official allegedly slapped an intoxicated Thai bar worker during a confrontation, igniting widespread public outrage. A video currently circulating on Thai social media reportedly captures the incident, showing a heated exchange between the official and a female bar worker that escalated into physical violence.
In the footage, the official, identified as a municipality worker, appears to slap the bar worker across the face before attempting to force her into the back of a city pickup truck to transport her to the police station. The incident reportedly took place in front of a convenience store on Walking Street in South Pattaya.
An eyewitness, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted the events, stating that the bar worker, who appeared to be intoxicated, entered the convenience store and began arguing with the staff. As the situation escalated, nearly leading to a physical altercation, the store contacted Pattaya City’s special operations officers, also known as the municipality, to intervene. A city patrol vehicle arrived shortly after, and the officers attempted to escort the woman into the vehicle. However, she resisted, leading to a confrontation. The eyewitness claimed not to have seen the officer strike the woman, only that she was taken to Pattaya Police Station to calm down.
Meanwhile, The Pattaya News reporters spoke by phone with the woman in the video. The 34-year-old, identified as Ms. Da (real name withheld by request), admitted that while she had been drinking, she was not heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident. She acknowledged having an argument with the convenience store staff, who then called the city officials to intervene. Ms. Da claimed that the store escalated the situation unnecessarily.
According to Ms. Da, when the city officials arrived, they attempted to put her into the back of the city pickup truck. As she resisted and flailed her arms, one of the officers allegedly slapped her in the face. Following this, she decided to file a police report at Pattaya Police Station.
However, after filing the report, Ms. Da claimed she was summoned by the investigating officer two days later for a discussion with the opposing official. The official did not appear, but the police informed her that she might also face charges for allegedly assaulting an officer while they were performing their duties. Not wanting further trouble, Ms. Da decided to drop the charges. She also urged the authorities to avoid using violence and to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
credit TPN
