Patpong skirmish injures 17, vendors file police complaint

One vendor is in critical condition after being hit on the head by a group of men armed with sticks who raided the market together with officials from the Commerce Ministry. The raid later turned into a full-blown melee.

At around 11pm on Wednesday, a team of more than 100 people raided the market and indiscriminately started seizing items from stalls, angering the vendors, who responded by throwing stones and objects at the officials. Later, some 200 vendors blocked adjacent roads and intercepted a ministry van carrying their products. Three other vans managed to get away. The skirmish left 10 officials and seven vendors wounded.

The vendors, in their police complaint, charged the anti-piracy team with armed robbery, assault and firearm possession. The officials had earlier filed piracy-related changes against the vendors.

In their complaint, the vendors said the officials did not identify themselves before seizing the products and did not separate contraband items from legal ones. Some vendors were even dragged onto a van and beaten up as the vehicle drove around until dawn before they were released.

A senior police officer later said the Commerce Ministry officials had not notified the Bang Rak police station, whose jurisdiction covers the market, nor had it informed the Economic and Cyber Crimes Division about the raid - a practice usually followed prior to any anti-piracy operations. Pol Maj-General Wibool Bangthamai said two Army officers from an irrelevant Supreme Command unit were also involved in the raid.

Under standard police procedure, items need to be identified, contraband products seized and legal items returned to vendors, Wibool said. The division's main policy focuses on crackdowns on production or storage sources, while small vendors are only arrested after ignoring warnings from police.

Thanks to a joint decision between police and ministry officials, a directive has been issued requiring police officers to regularly conduct anti-piracy operations across Bangkok and report to the Metropolitan Police Bureau every seven days after May 15.