A tour guide died after a business rival allegedly slashed him to death in a fight over customers.
NattapongKesornsuntorn, 24, died of extensive bleeding Dec. 10 following a brawl on Walking Street’s Soi Diamond. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Pairot Muangkla, a 32-year-old unlicensed tour guide suspected of killing the Nakhon Sri Thammarat man.
Investigators said both men were involved in luring tourists to see adult shows around Walking Street, charging as much as 500 baht per head for their services. Nattapong and Pairot were said to have had a long-running dispute, which boiled over after midnight when the suspected killer allegedly tried to steal the victim’s customers outside a Soi Diamond go-go bar.
Witnesses said Nattapong started a fist fight but Pairot finished it when he grabbed a knife from a nearby sausage vendor and stabbed and slashed Nattapong repeatedly in the arms, legs and chest.
Pattaya Police Superintendent Col. Nattawut Suwanla-ong said he has since ordered officers to crack down on illegal tour guides and touts, which he said are often the source of tourist complaints and violence.
