A Belgian tourist was covered in blood after being mugged by teenage thugs in Thailand.

Richard Andre Van Bogaert, 80, from Melsele, was walking home from a Christmas party at a local bar when he was attacked by the motorcycle-riding gangsters in the lawless city of Pattaya on December 25.

The youths were said to have surrounded the pensioner before knocking him to the ground. They slashed at the helpless elderly man with a knife and stomped on him before stealing his wallet with 7,000 baht (164 GBP).

Richard staggered back to his home at The Village Pattaya housing estate, where his Thai caretaker Pornthip Jamueang, 38, found him bleeding heavily from a head wound. The woman called the police for help.

Police Captain Wuttikorn Plodprong of the Pattaya City Police Station said cops received a report at 12:36 am. Officers and medics arrived at the house to give first aid to Richard.

The Belgian claimed he was walking alone on the street when the gang of six teens allegedly assaulted him. He was taken to a hospital for further treatment.

Police Colonel Navin Thirawit, superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, said: 'After the incident, we immediately dispatched investigators to the scene. We hope to arrest the group of teenagers after reviewing the security camera footage of the incident

'We still do not know the reason behind the attack. We will track down the suspects and proceed with legal action.'

The incident is the latest involving violent youths in Thailand.

In October 2023, a 14-year-old gunman opened fire in a shopping mall in Bangkok, killing three shoppers. While on January 12, teenage gangsters, including the sons of two local policemen, battered to death a woman, 47, in Sa Kaeo province.

Education expert Sompong Jitradub blamed the violence on a 'weak society'.

He said: 'As someone who has been working with children for 30 years, I can see that the new generation of children is gradually forming gangs, causing problems and unrest everywhere.

'This is because the school system lacks flexibility and space for children to express themselves and relax. It has become a space filled with authority and regulations. Therefore, it is impossible for any ministry or government department alone to address this issue. The government may need to take on the responsibility and tackle this problem seriously.'

The Department of Children and Youth Protection said there were 12,000 cases of youths committing crimes from 2022 to 2023.


(1 GBP = 42.74 THB)