PATTAYA, Thailand — A late-night traffic enforcement operation in Pattaya’s Soi 6 on December 24 raised questions after the vendors accused of blocking traffic were nowhere to be found when authorities arrived, fueling speculation that word of the crackdown had leaked in advance.
At around 10:30 p.m., Pol Lt Col Amorntep Mai-ma, a traffic inspector at Pattaya City Police Station, led traffic police officers together with Pattaya City municipal officers in a coordinated operation to enforce traffic discipline in Soi 6. The move followed repeated public complaints that sidecar tricycles and roaming vendors were parking and selling goods in ways that obstructed traffic and caused congestion.
However, reporters accompanying the operation found that no sidecar vendor vehicles were present in the area. Only a small number of itinerant sellers were seen, mainly offering festival spray foam and small firecrackers linked to New Year celebrations.
During the inspection, a municipal officer assigned to the area was observed warning vendors to leave because enforcement officers were present. No arrests or confiscations were made. When questioned by reporters, the officer declined to explain and left the scene without comment.
Based on the inspection results, police and municipal officials reported no violations involving sidecar vendor vehicles. Nevertheless, authorities acknowledged that at the same time on most nights, the area is typically crowded with such vendors, leading to suspicions that traders may have been tipped off in advance and temporarily cleared out before officers arrived.
The incident has renewed public concerns about the effectiveness and transparency of enforcement efforts in Pattaya’s busiest nightlife zones.
