Police break up late-night brawl between Uzbekistani women in Pattaya
Pattaya broke up a violent turf war among freelance sex workers and later freed them without charges after both sides agreed to forgive each other
Pattaya police broke up a fight between two groups of Uzbekistani women on Pattaya beach late on Tuesday night. It is believed these women work as freelance sex workers.
The Pattaya Police Station received a report at 11.46pm that two groups of Uzbekistani nationals, mostly women, were engaged in a noisy battle on Pattaya Beach at the mouth of Soi 13/4.
When police arrived, they found the two groups confronting each other and shouting. Police rounded them all up and took them to the police station for interrogation. Some members of both groups were found to have sustained injuries.
During the operation, a man in one of the groups resisted arrest and had to be pinned down to be handcuffed. Police officers said foreign onlookers appeared to be very frightened.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness who rents out beach mats at the beach said he witnessed the incident from the start.
The 42-year-old going by the name of Kiranuwat said one of the groups comprised Uzbekistani women who sold their services at that spot and were upset when another group of “freelancers” began intruding on their turf. He said the first group told their “protector” to tell the newcomers to leave, but that resulted in a fight.
When both sides were taken to the police station, they agreed to forgive one another and chose not to file a complaint. Police took everybody’s photos and released them without any charges.
Locals say that foreign women, both white and coloured, sold their services on the beach every night, even though Pattaya police patrol the beach road regularly.
