He was very confused by the fact that his own building, which he hadn’t been to in 5 years, had turned into an Indian bar.
Suppanut Chinnawat, 30, reported to police at the Mueang Pattaya police station on June 7, 2023, that a group of Indian nationals had intruded on his commercial property. Police immediately sent investigators to the scene.
The building is located at No. 247/8-9 on Pattaya 3rd Road, which is the road leading to Bali Hier Pier. There is a sign on the glass wall that says “Rockstars Indian Dance Club” while the door was locked.
Police investigated the scene and found an additional door at the rear of the building. It was found that the burglars had converted the ground floor into a beer bar, while the second to fourth floors were converted into daily or monthly rental rooms. Some rooms were occupied while others were ransacked, police reported.
A brief questioning of a person at the scene reveals that the manager of the building is an Indian. The person who was present when the police investigated the building said he did not know who owned the building as he was an employee. He said the manager was not there as he had returned to India.
First, the building owner presented all the proofs of ownership to the Indian clerk. The owner stated that he would lock all the doors to prevent anyone from entering the building. However, he would allow those living in the building to continue living there until he spoke to the Indian caretaker, who claimed to be the building owner and litigate the case.
“I must know who is behind this Indian person. How dare they pretend to be the owners of the building and make such a business out of it? Only when all the compensation is on the table will I be ready to negotiate,” said the building owner.
Indian investors flocked to Pattaya
Earlier, Prachachat Business reported that Indian investors flocked to Pattaya when Thailand reopened the country since 2021. These investments span entertainment properties, hotels and restaurants, with spending ranging from 10 to 100 million baht.
The sites were concentrated around Walking Street to Pattaya 3rd Road. It is reported that these sites were to serve the Indian tourists who visit Thailand about 120,000 to 150,000 every month.
Damrongkiat Pinijkarn, director of Hollywood Pattaya and secretary of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, said Indian investors became interested in Pattaya not long before COVID-19. The interest then waned because of the pandemic. When things improved, Indian investors were among the first to return because they saw the opportunities. Indian tourists were also among the first tourists to return to Pattaya.
Similarly, Jugkarut Ruangratanakorn, managing director of Rattanakorn Asset Co, Ltd, said that currently there are several Indian investors investing in entertainment properties and restaurants. He said that since July 2022, when the government opened the country to foreigners, new Indian investors have been coming into the country.
