Pattaya Police Volunteer Shoots Friend In Altercation Over Car

[Rimmer]

Pattaya Police Volunteer Shoots Friend in Altercation over Car

PATTAYA: An Immigration Police Volunteer-Karaoke bar owner damaged his friend’s new Mercedes Benz sports that he had borrowed. When asked to pay for the damages, the Karaoke bar owner shot his friend.

Pattaya, November 8, 2010,[PDN]: A Chonburi real estate agent, Mr. Sutham Pasarigung [37] from Banglamung, reported to Pattaya Police, at approximately 6am, Nov8, that he had been shot in the stomach by a Karaoke bar owner-friend in an altercation over a car.

Full story HERE

PATTAYA DAILY NEWS

-- 2010-11-08

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[Rimmer]

UPDATE

Pattaya Immigration Volunteer suspected of shooting friend over car damage compensation

PATTAYA: -- A Pattaya Immigration Volunteer was accused of shooting his friend at the Volunteer’s Karaoke Bar located on Pattaya Third Road in the early hours of Monday Morning. Khun Sutum aged 37, who works for a local real estate company, made a complaint to Police Lieutenant Colonel Poomipat at Pattaya Police Station after he was released from Hospital.

Full story HERE

-- Pattaya One 2010-11-08

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[Puccini]

I have in the past read about the Pattaya Foreign Police Volunteers and the Pattaya Tourist Police Volunteers. Now I hear about a Pattaya Police Volunteer, alias Immigration Police Volunteer, alias Pattaya Immigration Volunteer. Is this yet a third outfit? If so, what are they really called? There are two news articles in this topic, with three different names.

[Puccini]

Doing some Google searches I now found this reference to alleged corruption by the Pattaya Police Volunteers in May of this year: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/20132/alleged-case-of-police-volunteer-corruption-uncovered/. I can't find any follow-up article on that story.

This YouTube video, uploaded by PattayaPeopleMedia on 14 June 2010, also mentions the Pattaya Police Volunteers:

A few other articles on pattayaone.net, pattaya-live.com, pattayamail.com, pattayadailynews.com, pattayapeopleradio.com and some other websites also mention the Pattaya Police Volunteers. Are there really three different volunteer groups -- or perhaps even more -- with the word "police" in their names assisting the Royal Thai Police in Pattaya?

[Puccini]

Searching some more I found this post made by somebody who appears to be a member of one of these police volunteer groups:

That article was directed at the Foreign Police Volunteers based at Soi 9 Police Station and not the Tourist Police Assistants who are heavily vetted before they are allowed to join our group. Apparently there is some concern that the Pattaya Police group are not vetted and are allowed to receive a full badge with little or no training, an issue which I can neither confirm or deny because I am not part of their group. Our group is part of a national unit which is tightly controlled.

Anyway.......just to let you know that the article will appear in the Spectrum Magazine which is part of the Bangkok Post Sunday Newspaper. It will be published on Sunday 1st February. Should be an interesting read because the writer went out on the streets of Pattaya and asked them what they thought of us. I don't know what they said because he would not tell me and I will not be able to see the article prior to its publication. There is also an interview with me and another of the FTPA group.

Howard

He used some different names for these volunteer groups, which confuses me even more:

-- Tourist Police Assistants

-- Pattaya Police group

-- FTPA group

Edited November 8, 2010 by Puccini

[moo9]

Amazing that volunteers can afford to buy a Benz SLK.

Something wrong, but who cares? The spoiler can probaly repaired for 1k baht.

[couchpotato]

Dear Puccini,

Re the Story on 'THAI Immigration Volunteer' shoots friend. (By the way the other guy owned the Mercedes, not the Volunteer).

I will clear up your confusion. Hopefully you are genuinely confused on this subject.

There are literally 1000's of Thai Volunteers all over the country, as they legally supplement the Royal Thai Police, due to manpower and budget restraints.

There are actually over 1000 Thai volunteers in Pattaya and Banglamung areas who volunteer for Soi 9 and Banglamung Police Stations, Highway Police, City hall, Tourist Police, Immigration, Narcotics and DSI Divisions, local Tessabarns and the list goes on. Obviously you'll always find a few bad eggs in every basket, but on the whole these Thai Volunteers do an admirable job for the Thai authorities. Also well over 50% of all the motorcycle taxi drivers in Pattaya are affiliated to at least one organisation.

So it's a win win situation for the Police as they supplement their ranks for free and only have to put up with a few hotheads at times.

The name (in Thai usually) on their ID cards will reflect what organisation they belong to ie: Immigration Volunteer, Higway Police Volunteer etc.

Thank you and I hope this has helped your understanding of how theThai authorities use Volunteers.

[Rimmer]

Thanks for that couchpotato most interesting

[Puccini]

Thank you, couchpotato. What we should hope for, then, is that English language publications use the same translation for each volunteer group, but I guess this is too much to expect, seeing how one publication, Pattaya Daily News, used two different translations for one group in one news article, and another publication, Pattaya One, used a third translation for the same group.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Puccini

[Spaniel]

Amazing that volunteers can afford to buy a Benz SLK.

Something wrong, but who cares? The spoiler can probaly repaired for 1k baht.

Better re-read the report. The volunteer didn't own the car. The volunteer borrowed it, damaged it, then shot the owner for complaining.