Pattaya police nab defiant Arab road racers, warn motorbike rentals to be strict
Notorious Arab motorbike riders were forced to cancel their road-racing plans after some 200 policemen and Interior Ministry officials were deployed to keep law and order on Pattaya roads late on Saturday night.
Officers from Pattaya Police Station and officials from Chonburi provincial administration were deployed to check the roads and sois where local residents have complained about road racing and the blocking of traffic by Arab youngsters, mostly tourists from Kuwait. Interior Ministry officials also joined the operation.
Most of the riders parked their motorbikes on the roadside as soon as they saw the officials approaching.
Some, however, were defiant and continued riding their bikes, only to be stopped and fined for violating traffic laws.
The officials did not arrest those who had parked their bikes, but they were interrogated and found to be mostly Kuwaiti teenagers.
Police said the interrogation of some 200 youngsters continued into the early hours of Sunday.
Last week, Pattaya police held a meeting with other agencies concerned to discuss measures to prevent road racing, which has become popular among Arab tourists but is making life difficult for local people.
Motorbike rental companies have been warned to strictly check the identification particulars of tourists and their driving licences before renting out bikes.
