Tourists fled as two gunmen opened fire at each other in a red light district in Thailand.

Chart Sukboondang, 43, and Niran Sangprasomsri, 43, sparked panic when they allegedly exchanged gunfire along the busy Walking Street in coastal party town Pattaya on December 17.

Footage shows the gun-wielding suspects, both employees of different BB gun stores in the area, locked in a standoff as they took cover behind stalls.

Police Lieutenant Wutikorn Plodprong, Deputy Chief of the Pattaya City Police Station, said cops received a report of the altercation at 4:36 am.

Officers later arrived at the scene but found only an injured Niran bleeding from a knife wound on his side. Chart had reportedly fled after the attack.

Niran said he and Chart had previously been detained and fined for a punch-up. He claimed the gunfight was caused by Chart taking revenge on him by stabbing him.

Police said there were no injuries or casualties among passers-by. Bizarrely, no firearms were found at the scene.

Police Colonel Nawin Theerawit, superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station, said investigations were ongoing.

He said: ‘Their actions directly tarnished the reputation of Pattaya as a tourist city. They could also be considered dangerous individuals who did not consider the safety of tourists, which is strongly against the government's policy.

‘We will evaluate BB gun and knife vendors operating in tourism areas to assess whether their presence is appropriate, as their personnel acted violently and could pose a future danger to tourists.'

Thailand has one of the highest gun ownership and gun homicide rates among Southeast Asian nations. Many of the firearms are believed to be sold by government and police officers, who can buy and sell them at a discounted rate under the government's 'gun welfare programme'.

The persistent gun culture is said to stem from a distrust of crime control policies, especially in rural areas.

Former Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had previously vowed to tighten gun control laws following a shooting at a Bangkok mall in October 2023 that rattled locals in the capital.

Former fishing village Pattaya became popular with American troops on 'rest and relaxation' breaks in the 1960s when the U.S. military had bases in Thailand. In the ensuing years, the coastal resort spawned into a semi-barbarous sex-tourism hellscape.

Embarrassed officials have made progress in gentrifying the region with family tourism projects but a ravenous nightlife industry and corrupt police have hampered their efforts, with undesirables from all nations still attracted to the seedy city.