A South African tourist spent more than three hours trying to pay a 500 baht fine and have a wheel clamp removed from his car in Pattaya early today, September 5, after repeatedly failing to find the officers responsible.
The tourist, identified as 28 year old Jeandre, was visiting Pattaya with his girlfriend when they parked their car along Pattaya Beach Road in the evening and went out in the city.
They returned to the car at about 1.10am and found that a wheel had been clamped. An A4 notice had also been left on the vehicle, but Jeandre could not read the Thai instructions.
The couple took the document to Pattaya City Police Station, where officers explained that Pattaya municipal enforcement officers had clamped the car as part of parking controls along the beachfront.
The measures particularly target vehicles parked in red-and-white zones and public transport stops.
Police told the couple to go to Pattaya City Hall to pay the fine and arrange for the clamp to be removed, explaining that staff were supposed to be available during the night.
The tourist said he had no objection and was prepared to pay the fine.
Jeandre and his girlfriend then took motorcycle taxis there but found nobody at the payment point. They made the journey back and forth three times without being able to reach anyone responsible for collecting the fine.
After more than three hours, the couple returned to Pattaya City Police Station, where they encountered a local reporter and asked for help.
The reporter called a telephone number provided for contacting the responsible officers. The call connected but went unanswered. A second number for Pattaya City’s radio communications centre was also tried several times but remained busy.
The reporter then went to Pattaya City Hall to check the municipal administrative office where fines are processed.
The room was lit, and the air conditioning was running, but no staff were present. Calls for an officer also went unanswered, and no security personnel were found nearby.
The reporter later came across municipal enforcement officers conducting patrols elsewhere in Pattaya and explained the couple’s situation.
Those officers contacted the fine-payment point, and a member of staff was eventually arranged to handle the case.
Jeandre was able to pay the 500 baht fine and the wheel clamp was removed, allowing the couple to recover their car. He thanked the reporter before he and his girlfriend drove back to their accommodation.
A municipal officer later explained that the administrative employee responsible for collecting fines had left the office to respond to another incident after receiving a request for assistance from Pattaya City Police Station.
The officer added that staffing levels were insufficient during the night shift, which could leave the fine-payment office temporarily unattended.
Pattaya City is now working to increase staffing for overnight operations to prevent similar problems.
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The story South African tourist waits 3 hours to pay parking fine in Pattaya as seen on Thaiger News.
