CHON BURI - A uniformed municipal officer who was filmed in a fist fight with a civilian at Laem Bali Hai pier in Pattaya on Feb 9 has been identified and suspended, reports said on Wednesday.
The incident was caught on camera and surfaced on the internet.
Two men in uniform were shown in the film. They were identified as Chertsit Boonkliang, who was the one fighting, and Tanongsak Pisit, who tried to stop the fight. The civilian victim was Nattapong Poothasuwannasuk, a local ferry owner, reports said.
Mr Nattapong told a reporter that the municipal officers backed their vehicle into his motorcycle. He walked over to the truck and demanded an apology from them. This upset Mr Chertsit.
"What are you going to do about it? Who are you? Do you have any idea what kind of problems I have already been through?” Mr Chertsit responded angrily.
Mr Nattapong said he and Mr Chertsit later got into a brawl. Mr Chertsit was the one who started the fight, he said.
"I know the officer. I see him every day because we both work at the pier. We had been angry at each other on other occasions. However, it was nothing. I have no intention of pressing charges [against the man]," said Mr Nattapong
The incident lasted around 15 minutes with both men eventually backing off. Both sides were later called in by the authorities and the conflict was resolved, report said.
Pattaya deputy mayor Ronnakij Eakasing said the municipal officer's behaviour while in uniform was unacceptable and set a bad example for other public servants.
He said a committee had been assigned to further investigate and if Mr Chertsit was found at fault he would be told to resign.