A 45-year-old British tourist was beaten by a gang of robbers on Soi Jomtien in Pattaya, Thailand, becoming the third foreign visitor attacked in the resort city within two days, The Pattaya News reported.
The attackers set upon the man in the street and tried to steal his phone. The assault happened just minutes before a Russian tourist was attacked nearby on Soi Pattaya Park, according to the report.
Police who found the British man said he had bruises across his body and a wound running from his left temple to his ear that resembled a mark left by a sharp object. He was given first aid at the scene and then hospitalized.
A 20-year-old employee at a 24-hour convenience store said the injured man had come into her shop asking for help. He told her he had been attacked by two Thai men who appeared to be drunk, and that one of them had threatened him with a bladed weapon in order to rob him.
Police believe the same gang may be responsible for all three robberies reported in the city over the two-day period. An investigation is under way, and officers are reviewing closed-circuit camera footage from the scenes of the attacks.
Pattaya's tourist trade
Pattaya, on Thailand's eastern Gulf coast roughly two hours from Bangkok, is one of the country's best-known beach resorts and draws large numbers of foreign visitors each year for its nightlife, hotels and waterfront. Soi Jomtien and Soi Pattaya Park are streets in areas of the city popular with tourists.
Two earlier attacks
The British man's assault followed two other robberies of tourists in Pattaya reported in the preceding days. On September 14, a Russian tourist was kicked and robbed in an upmarket district of the city. The next day, September 15, another Russian tourist was forced at gunpoint to hand over his valuables and money.
No arrests had been reported at the time of writing, and the investigation into whether a single gang carried out all three attacks was continuing.
