In a video that went viral yesterday, a mango vendor in Pattaya brandished his samurai sword at an official who tried to arrest him for selling fruit on the sidewalk on Tuesday.
Municipal official, Kwanchai Klaiboon, 37, posted the video and explained that he was threatened with a sword for simply doing his job yesterday on Jomtien Sai 2 Road, “This is my work. There’s always a risk. No one could help me.”
As municipal officials have the authority to arrest and fine people under the Act on Cleanliness and Orderliness in the Country, Kwanchai said that he approached the fruit truck, but the man “resisted being arrested.”
In the video, the man with a knife can be heard yelling, “I’m in trouble. Can’t you see?” before the woman who came with him told him to, “Get in the car!” and the couple drove off.
In Thai language, “I’m in trouble,” usually means “I’m broke.”
For trading on a public sidewalk, the couple could have faced a fine of THB2,000.
Trucks selling agricultural produce are a common sight in Thailand, where vendors drive around communities and advertise their fruit and vegetables using a loudspeaker.
When netizens questioned whether there was an argument that was not caught on video, Kwanchai responded, “I talked to the man nicely. He has done this many times but has never been arrested. I didn’t speak rudely to him at all.”
Coconuts has reached out to Kwanchai for comments and will update the story when he responds.
