Arab bikers block rescuers from taking injured rider to Pattaya hospital
Dozens of Arab tourists riding motorbikes initially blocked a rescue operation for one of their peers who was injured in a road accident in Pattaya early Wednesday morning, rescue officers said.
Rescuers from the Sawang Boribun Thammasathan Pattaya Foundation rushed to Soi Yensabai in South Pattaya at 4.30am after receiving information of a motorcycle accident.
But the rescuers found the injured Kuwaiti tourist, identified as Ahmad Jraoaalazmi, 22, surrounded by dozens of Arab friends, all believed to be his compatriots.
The rescuers said the bikers initially refused to allow them to take the injured tourist to a hospital, apparently misunderstanding that he would be apprehended by police.
The Arab bikers allowed the rescuers to carry the injured man into an ambulance and rush him to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital after the rescuers explained to them that they were there to take their friend for medical attention.
However, the dozens of young men crowding the area made the rescue operation hectic.
During the operation, the young men, referred to by residents as the Kuwaiti gang almost filled the soi.
A Myanmar worker, Wai, 30, later told police later that he saw the biker fall while riding his motorbike along the soi. His friends then rushed to surround him while waiting for an ambulance.
Local people and commuters have complained to Pattaya police that large Kuwaiti gangs are riding their bikes and blocking Pattaya roads at night. The gangs often travel in groups and rev their engines loudly, disrupting the sleep of local residents, and park their bikes to block off roads.
On Monday, Pattaya police held a meeting to discuss measures for dealing with the increasing number of Arab motorcyclists on Pattaya roads. The operators of rented motorcycles were told to check driving licenses and passports of renters and to warn them to observe Thai traffic laws.
