Video: Is Pattaya a tourist town or a mafia town? Questions asked after driver hemmed in

[snoop1130]

Video: Is Pattaya a tourist town or a mafia town? Questions asked after driver hemmed in

 

 

The "black plate mafia" were blamed after a clip showing more illegal behavior in Pattaya hit the internet.

Thai Rath reported that the "Khreua Sahaphat - Laem Chabang" page posted a video of a driver who was picking up some tourists.

He is hemmed in by a car in front and a man comes to confront him. The driver in the car is filming and the other man says in a calm but vaguely threatening manner:

"Carry on filming. Go on".

The driver says he is being hemmed in but the other one says he is not.

So the driver makes to go before the car ahead moves to the right making it impossible for him to pass.

The incident happened in Na Klua Soi 12. Thai Rath said it seemed to be over a queuing system.

Details were sketchy but Thai Rath promised to follow up on the story.

Another incident barely 24 hours before featured a fight between an Uber driver and a taxi driver.

The first poster on the thread asked: "Is Pattaya a tourist town or a mafia town?". Others wanted the authorities to act.

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-9-25

[trogers]

Mafia feeding on tourist dollars...

 

More should visit.

[zaZa9]

Im sure the police will act with complete impariality once they have determined which party is paying them...

[Thaiwrath]

In a first world country, these people would be described as "plastic" mafia, and treated accordingly.

[ezzra]

Time for another of those famous and mostly useless "crackdown" to take

place where a big noise will ensue followed by small fines.....

[over it]

Do you really think you need to ask the question?

[dotpoom]

A bit of both I would imagine.....like most large citys.

  PS. Nothing unusual about taxi drivers blocking another for trying to skip the Que (this does not appear to be Uber v Taxis). First driver gets the next fare, no point in "ranking up" otherwise.

PS. In a previous life I drove a Taxi for 28 yrs. on and off.

[Thian]

The Pattaya taxi-maffia never used meters while that is the law....the police never did anything to stop it..

[StayinThailand2much]

So the question is, whether Pattaya, in addition to being a ... town, is also a 'tourist town'? 

[RichardColeman]

Certainly not a crime suppression town !

[Toshiba66]

Pattaya will be a wonderful place to take the wife and kids now that the beaches are free of alcohol and incidents like the one mentioned above only happen rarely each and every day. Long live the mafia.

[alfalfa19]

ghost town, soon to be

[Currumbin]

3 hours ago, over it said:

Do you really think you need to ask the question?

Just ask the Taxi drivers from Bangkok. They can drop you off but the local "taxi mafia", as they are called, will not allow the Bangkok taxis to take passengers back to Bangkok. Always been the way.

[ubonjoe]

A inflammatory post meant to derail the topic and the expected replies to it have been removed.

[12DrinkMore]

2 hours ago, USPatriot said:

in thailand , certainly for an expat , it is essential , to own fire arm at home and in the car's gloves compartment.... a fire arm , or a dog  (or both) : 

BS.

 

2 decades in Thailand and I have never felt the slightest desire or need to own or carry a firearm.

 

 

[Moti24]

"The incident happened in Na Klua Soi 12........"

 

I seem to remember that a few months ago, there was a post about a foreigner parking his motorcycle in a spot usually used by a motorcycle taxi.  The police got involved and advised the foreigner to apologise and wai the taxi guy, which the foreigner refused to do.  A few days later, the foreigner's car received a few bullet holes in the side; the police attended, but did nothing.

 

So yes, it's certainly a mafia town, with almost daily occurencies of what appears to be a mafia controlled environment, mostly highlighted by incidents involving taxis, motorcycle taxis and songtaews.

 

Pattaya is not a fun place to visit anymore.

 

 

[lucjoker]

just put a police capon your dashboard......

nobody will ignore the sign of the first line mafia...........

not even a police man 

[Get Real]

Simple answer! Yes, it´s a mafia town.

[Stargeezr]

Years ago I had a run in with some Thai Mafia,  I will say  please all of you

mafia members get Ebola and die.  Thailand  needs the mafia as much as they

need military rule for 10 more years

.

Geezer

[SoulWater]

Not sure this really qualifies as mafia behaviour if you have watched the godfather, goodfellas etc, is pattaya is a mafia town?  that is a seperate question I'll never go there again, or patong for that matter

[jgarbo]

5 hours ago, over it said:

Do you really think you need to ask the question?

Wrong question. Chonburi (province) has been a mafia area since the Vietnam War. Pattaya was an R&R village for US GIs. The province was run a gangster, Kamnan Poh, who controlled smuggling into the area. In fact, he initially discouraged tourism in Pattaya because it upset the smuggling. Finally he got involved in both. His vast compound was in Bang Saen, fleets of Benz, armed guards, many "visitors". His son Itthipol is Pattaya mayor, and other children run various businesses (and towns) in the province. The father's in jail for murder and other crimes. Not a man to cross.

So is Pattaya a mafia town? You bet but so is the whole province. Everything's controlled. So if you get into trouble, you're literally on your own. I haven't been there for years (after some magazines I published closed) and warn anyone going there, not to. HTH 

J

[selavy59]

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

In a first world country, these people would be described as "plastic" mafia, and treated accordingly.

In the wonderful first world only the banks and corporates are allowed to act like the mafia.

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, alfalfa19 said:

ghost town, soon to be

In all honesty I've been hearing that since '92.

Lots of places still hanging on to their businesses, just.

I very rarely go there by the way, it doesn't hold any appeal nowadays.

Yes, I know!!!!!  

What happened to the 'Good Old Days'

???

[wandasloan]

Is Pattaya a tourist town or a mafia town?

Embrace the power of "and".

 

 

[ToddinChonburi]

Another good job Thailand !!

[over it]

1 hour ago, selavy59 said:

In the wonderful first world only the banks and corporates are allowed to act like the mafia.

In the first world, we have mafia, too. The banks, corporations, and governments use them for their purposes, also.

 

You don't think a Soros or a Bush can't get a hit on someone, do you?

 

One reality doesn't diminish the other.

[Spellforce]

Thai autorities have to stop that mess !

 

Last night I was out with my wife. I didn't want to drive car/motorbike because we wanted to party and drink.

When we wanted to book an Uber Taxi to go back home, the Uber driver said on the phone that he can not pick us in soi Diana because it was too dangerous for him !

 

So we used 2 motorbike taxi to go back home: unsafe (motorbike + both drivers were drunk) + 2 X 150 bahts = 300 bahts (instead of 130-140 bahts with Uber)

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Spellforce

[JRUSA]

4 hours ago, Moti24 said:

"The incident happened in Na Klua Soi 12........"

 

I seem to remember that a few months ago, there was a post about a foreigner parking his motorcycle in a spot usually used by a motorcycle taxi.  The police got involved and advised the foreigner to apologise and wai the taxi guy, which the foreigner refused to do.  A few days later, the foreigner's car received a few bullet holes in the side; the police attended, but did nothing.

 

So yes, it's certainly a mafia town, with almost daily occurencies of what appears to be a mafia controlled environment, mostly highlighted by incidents involving taxis, motorcycle taxis and songtaews.

 

Pattaya is not a fun place to visit anymore.

 

 

But it's a great place to live...

[Spellforce]

Just now, JRUSA said:

But it's a great place to live...

Yes but I dont want to die because of a drunk taxi motorbike driver and for twice the price of a safe & clean Uber taxi.

[MyFriend You]

9 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

So the question is, whether Pattaya, in addition to being a ... town, is also a 'tourist town'? 

OH!!!  Thats easy, its a Mafia Town, the Mafia runs the town to rip off the Tourists.........BTW, who in thgere right mind would take a taxi when Song Teils are cheap and available??