Pattaya —
An Israeli tourist was arrested on Pattaya Walking Street last night for causing havoc and shoplifting from a convenience store.
According to Thai media reports, the man confessed to having smoked cannabis prior to the incident and blamed his erratic behavior on the stress stemming from the ongoing conflict between his home country, Israel, and Hamas as well as the effects of marijuana.
TPN media notes that there is no known scientific evidence that marijuana suddenly causes people to shoplift.
On Monday night, October 9th, Pattaya Police were alerted to a disturbance involving an international tourist on Walking Street in South Pattaya. They rushed to the scene to find an unidentified Israeli tourist acting in a very disruptive and uncooperative manner.
According to multiple eyewitnesses, the tourist had damaged property on Walking Street. He hit several cars parked on the side of the road for an unexplained reason. Then, the man walked into a convenience store and helped himself to food and drinks without paying, eyewitnesses said. This prompted the store manager to contact Pattaya Police for help.
Upon further investigation, police found that the Israeli national was staying at an unnamed hotel in Pattaya. The officers subsequently asked the hotel about the man and were informed that he had previously caused problems there.
The tourist had reportedly gone to the rooftop of the hotel and turned off the elevator switch used within the hotel building, the staff said. Following this incident, the man exited the hotel to cause further disturbances at Walking Street.
Pattaya Police escorted the tourist, whose identity remained undisclosed, to the Pattaya Police Station to help him calm down. Thai media reported that the man spoke incoherently and later confessed to smoking marijuana to reduce stress caused by the escalating conflict between his home country, Israel, and the Hamas group. He said his unusual behavior was caused by the stress he was experiencing, as reported by Thai media. Cannabis was decriminalized in Thailand in 2022 but has remained a potent political issue.
Regardless, the man would be charged and fined for disturbing the public peace, said Pattaya police.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=–=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google News, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Pinterest, Flipboard, or Tumblr
Join us on LINE for breaking alerts!
Or, join us on Telegram for breaking alerts!