Chinese tourists and Thai restroom attendants clash in Pattaya

CHONBURI — 31 October 2026, A group of five Chinese men and two Thai restroom attendants were taken to Pattaya police station following a brawl at a street-food market in Pattaya on the night of 30 October 2026. The incident left two Chinese men with head injuries after one of the Thai men struck them with the handle of a modified BB gun, according to the restroom attendant’s account.

The fight reportedly broke out at around 23:15 in front of a public restroom at a street-food market along Pattaya Second Road in Na Kluea, Bang Lamung district, Chonnuri province. A video of the incident circulated on social media, showing a chaotic confrontation that required intervention from local residents and security guards before police arrived.

Nattakan, 30, one of the restroom attendants, told reporters on 31 October that he and his colleague, Kritsadawut, 30, were looking after the facility when a group of about five Chinese men, whom he described as heavily intoxicated, came to use the toilets.

After they left, Nattakan said he inspected the cubicles and found urine on the floor, unflushed toilets and footprints on toilet seats. The restroom charges a 150-baht cleaning fine for users who leave the facilities dirty, so he called the group back to show them the mess.

He alleged that the men became angry and one of them shoved him in the chest, throwing him against a wall. A physical fight then broke out.

The confrontation later spilled outside the restroom. Nattakan said a larger group of around seven or eight Chinese men joined in and attacked him and his colleague, leaving them injured.

Kritsadawut then retrieved what Nattakan described as a BB gun with no ammunition and used its handle to strike the Chinese men in an attempt to stop the assault. Security guards from a nearby entertainment venue intervened and called the police.

Police took both Thai men and five Chinese men to the station for questioning. Nattakan said the two Thai men faced charges related to fighting, while his colleague was also charged under the firearms law because the BB gun had reportedly been modified to use live ammunition. Kritsadawut was released on bail and was recovering at home, according to Nattakan.

The five Chinese men were identified by police as Shen, 64; Lyu, 36; Zhong, 37; Shen, 37; and Zhou, 28. Two of them sustained head injuries after being struck with the gun handle.

All five were charged in connection with the brawl and fined during the police inquiry, according to the report.

A 60-year-old restroom attendant, identified only as Pom, also told reporters that some customers had repeatedly left the toilets dirty, including failing to flush, standing on toilet seats and littering. She said staff members sometimes faced angry confrontations when they asked customers to pay cleaning fines, adding that her nephew had been attacked in the latest incident.

The accounts of the confrontation were provided by the Thai restroom attendants. The police investigation and the circumstances leading to the fight remain subject to the authorities’ findings.