A group of Kuwaiti tourists spoke to reporters yesterday, July 14, accusing police officers in Pattaya of demanding cash payments for traffic offences, issuing unofficial receipts and refusing to let them pay fines at a police station.
The tourists, aged around 20 to 30, claimed they had repeatedly encountered the same practice during visits to Pattaya over the past month. Through an interpreter, they said they accepted responsibility for genuine traffic violations and did not object to being fined legally, but questioned how the fines were handled.
According to the group, officers stopped them several times for traffic offences and imposed fines ranging from 3,500 to 5,000 baht. They claimed they were stopped two to five times in a single night and were taken to secluded locations to pay the fines in cash rather than being allowed to pay at a police station.
The tourists alleged that an unidentified man collected the cash while uniformed police officers stood nearby. They also claimed officers accepted cash only and refused requests to pay by bank transfer.
The group further claimed that they asked to pay their fines at a police station but were refused. They were also told they would have to pay an additional 500 baht for a receipt.
According to them, the receipts resembled generic cash receipt books commonly used by small businesses but included details of the alleged offences and the fine amounts.
Other police officers later told them the receipts were not official, leading them to question the legitimacy of the payments.
The tourists said they had visited Pattaya many times and had previously regarded the city as a safe destination. However, they said their recent experiences had left them more fearful of police than criminals.
The group said they came forward in the hope that senior police officers would investigate the allegations. They also gave reporters video footage they claimed to have secretly recorded during one of the encounters, along with copies of the receipts.
The story Dodgy cash fines leave Kuwaiti tourists questioning Pattaya police as seen on Thaiger News.
