Pattaya bar row lands an Aussie tourist at the police station after a 13-hour session racks up ฿32,540. Staff say he showered women with drinks and stood rounds before one rejected his invitation. He then challenged the huge bill.
A marathon 13-hour drinking session in Pattaya ended at a police station after an Australian tourist refused a ฿32,540 bar bill. Mr. Thomson, 53, had arrived before opening time and spent the day buying drinks and ringing the bell for staff rounds. However, the mood soured after a female employee rejected his invitation to go out. The regular customer then challenged the huge bill, while owner Meeliya stood firmly by every charge. By 11.30 pm, police were mediating the bitter dispute and preparing to scrutinise the contested account.
A 13-hour drinking session in Pattaya ended at a police station after an Australian tourist refused a ฿32,540 bar bill. The marathon session began at 8 am on Wednesday, August 12, and continued until about 9 pm. By 11.30 pm, the dispute had landed before officers at Mueang Pattaya Police Station.
At the centre of the row was Mr. Thomson, a 53-year-old Australian tourist and regular customer. The bar owner was identified as Meeliya, a 46-year-old Thai woman. She runs the premises on Soi Bua Khao in Pattaya.
Notably, Mr. Thomson arrived before the bar had even opened for business. He appeared at about 8 am and asked staff to serve him. However, employees knew him as a regular customer who had previously settled his accounts without trouble.
Regular Australian customer gets early service before 13-hour Pattaya drinking session turns sour
In response, Meeliya and her staff made an exception. They opened the bar specifically for Mr. Thomson and began serving him. What followed was a drinking session stretching across most of the day.
As the hours passed, Mr. Thomson began buying drinks for several female employees. Staff said he particularly favoured some of the women and purchased drinks for them. Separately, he repeatedly rang the bar bell and stood rounds for staff.
Each ring brought more employees into the rounds, according to the bar’s account. As a result, the number of drinks charged to Mr. Thomson continued climbing. His eventual bill covered far more than his own consumption.
Meanwhile, the Australian reportedly became particularly close to one female employee. He later asked the woman to go out with him. She declined.
According to staff, Mr. Thomson became displeased after she rejected his invitation. Soon afterwards, the long drinking session turned into a payment row. Staff said the Australian refused to settle the account.
Bar bill hits ฿32,540 after staff rounds before rejected invitation sparks a bitter payment dispute
By then, Meeliya calculated the bill at ฿32,540, or about US$980. The figure immediately became the focus of the confrontation. Mr. Thomson maintained that the charges did not add up to the amount demanded.
For her part, Meeliya stood firmly behind the total. She explained that Mr. Thomson was not being charged solely for his own drinks. Instead, the account included drinks he had bought for female employees throughout the session.
In addition, the bill included the rounds Mr. Thomson ordered after ringing the bar bell. Those rounds had attracted a large number of staff members. Therefore, Meeliya maintained that the resulting charges belonged on his account.
The scale of the session also became part of the owner’s case. Mr. Thomson had been served from approximately 8 am until around 9 pm. That meant the bar had catered to him for about 13 hours.
Furthermore, Meeliya pointed to the business costs incurred during the marathon session. She cited both the cost of drinks and staff wages. The bar had opened early specifically because its regular customer requested service.
Australian tourist rejects ฿32,540 bill as Pattaya bar owner counts drinks, rounds and staff costs
Mr. Thomson, however, would not accept the ฿32,540 figure. He insisted the charges did not amount to the total presented. Accordingly, he refused to hand over the full sum.
At that point, neither side could break the deadlock inside the bar. Meeliya wanted the entire account paid. Mr. Thomson continued challenging the calculation.
Consequently, the owner decided to take the argument to the police. Meeliya and members of her staff brought Mr. Thomson to Mueang Pattaya Police Station. They arrived at about 11.30 pm, more than 15 hours after his early-morning arrival at the bar.
There, Pattaya police suddenly found themselves mediating a dispute over a day of drinking and staff rounds. Investigators encouraged both sides to discuss the account. Yet the disagreement over the ฿32,540 total remained unresolved.
On one side, Meeliya insisted the figure reflected the drinks ordered throughout the lengthy session. On the other, Mr. Thomson maintained that the individual charges could not support the total.
Crucially, police did not immediately decide which side was correct. Officers instead said they would examine the details of the disputed bill. They would also review the accounts given by both parties before proceeding further.
Pattaya police mediate as bar owner and Australian tourist remain deadlocked over ฿32,540 drinks bill
The police examination left the payment row unresolved that night. Meeliya continued demanding ฿32,540 from her Australian customer. Mr. Thomson continued refusing to pay that amount.
The dispute followed an extraordinary day which had started with special treatment for a familiar customer. Staff had opened before normal business hours because Mr. Thomson requested service. They did so because his previous visits had ended without payment problems.
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Over the next 13 hours, however, the size of his account grew. Staff said he bought drinks for several women he favoured. He also repeatedly rang the bell and stood rounds for a larger group.
Later, his invitation to one female employee changed the course of the session. The woman turned him down. Staff said Mr. Thomson then became displeased and refused to pay.
Ultimately, the dispute moved from the Pattaya bar to the police station late Wednesday night. The owner demanded ฿32,540 for the day’s drinks. The Australian challenged the calculation.
Police were left with the task of checking the account. Investigators said they would examine the bill and both sides’ versions before deciding what should happen next.
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