After numerous complaints that Thai people were asking for money for parking spaces at Bali Hai pier in Pattaya, which some reportedly tried to extort up to 500 baht, city officials have posted signs announcing that parking is completely free and informed them when they would have to pay for a parking space.
The free parking space is located on the blue field at Bali Hai Pier. the pl. Mayor of Pattaya, Wuttisak Reumkitkarn, told a local reporter that asking for parking fees is just a plain scam and certainly not the policy of the coastal city of Pattaya.” He added that law enforcement officers have installed a sign saying the “area belongs to Pattaya City and parking is free.”
Signs have also been posted that when tourists encounter problems, they ask to call 1337, Pattaya’s 24-hour hotline, to report it.
Reumkitkarn emphasized that the parking lot is “free for locals and tourists, especially for domestic tourists who go to Koh Larn, take pictures with the signature sign of Pattaya City or go to the lookout point or lighthouse nearby”. He said the rationale behind the offer of additional spaces is also to “increase the value proposition” of a visit to Koh Larn.
Meanwhile, Reumkitkarn also noted that authorities have also stopped similar scams along Beach Road near Pattaya Beach, where motorists can also expect free parking.
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