CHONBURI — Police say a group of security guards at a nightclub in Pattaya assaulted three European tourists after a fight broke out inside the club.
The incident took place at around 3.30 am today at a club called "Show Girls" on Soi Bua Kao in central Pattaya.
Police did not identify the nationalities of the tourists but said they were from a European country.
According to police, the three tourists got in a heated argument with other customers in the nightclub, and then resisted when security staff tried to escort them off the premises. Ronald James Kingsnorth, the 71-year-old manager of the nightclub, approached the group and tried to calm the situation, but one of the tourists punched him in the face, police say. The guards then reportedly mobbed and beat the three tourists, causing other customers inside the club to flee.
Pol.Lt.Col. Kowit Sawasdimongkol, an officer at Mueang Pattaya Police Station, said the club's manager, all of the guards, and the three tourists are being held at the police station.
He also scolded the club for selling alcohol on March 4, a Buddhist holiday during which alcohol sales are banned.
"Police instructed nightlife establishments in the area to close at midnight, because today is Maka Bucha Day, yet the bar defied the order and led to the incident of assaulting foreign tourists," Pol.Lt.Col. Kowit said, "The incident has negatively affected the image to Pattaya."
Pattaya, a beach town east of Bangkok, is notorious for its raucous nightlife and high rate of crimes.
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