Pattaya Daily News

Pattaya, 6 December 2010 (PDN): At 1.00am on Monday, Pattaya Police Investigator, Lieutenant Colonel Phallop, was notified by the Thappraya 2310 (a Pattaya Specific Unit) that a young Thai man had been arrested for impersonating a police officer and carrying out unauthorized searches on tourists bodies and their bags. The suspect was caught by the beach near Soi Pattaya 13/1 (Pattaya Land), Pattaya Beach Road.

The Pattaya Station police were dispatched to the scene where they found the Thappraya 2310 officers restraining a man, Mr. Thanaphol Meesawai [23] from Nakornratchasima, who was wearing black jeans with a belt bearing police insignia, and a black jacket with a Royal Thai Police logo and “POLICE” in large letters on the back. In addition, he was wearing an ID tag with the Royal Thai Police logo, and had a two-way radio and hand-cuffs.

Nearby, Miss Bunchuai Khruakaew [31], Mr. Adisorn Sornwinitchai [24] and their friends had stated to the police that they were concerned about the man’s behaviour. He had identified himself to them as a police officer and asked to search their bodies and bags while they were sitting relaxing on the beach near Soi 10, Beach Road.

He then asked the group if he could sit with them and join them for a drink. Subsequently, Mr. Meesawai drove a motorbike with them, and later they saw him still acting like the police and asking more tourists to be searched. At this point, Mr. Sornwinitchai could stand it no more and called the Thappraya 2310 team to investigate.

The police searched Mr. Meesawai but found nothing illegal, apart from the radio for which he didn’t have a license. He claimed he was a Traffic Police Volunteer, and he regularly helped the police with their operations at the fourth intersection after he had finished work.

Today he was out with other traffic volunteers and had presented himself as a volunteer officer, not as a policeman, to search tourists for illegal items. He said he just intended to help out the other officers.

The police had warned Mr. Meesawai that his actions were beyond the authority he had as a volunteer and he was wrong to wear a uniform similar to the police

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