CHIANG MAI — A Chiang Mai rooftop bar was permanently closed by police Sunday after a customer was badly beaten in a brawl there by guards over his use of a restroom.
Issarajnuwat Wankawisan was assaulted and seriously injured by security at Malin Sky Bar on Friday night after he attempted to use a washroom but was denied entry by four guards who told him some celebrities were using them.
Thanomsak Pipatkitjakarn, one of the guards subsequently charged with assault, told police that Issarajnuwat was trying to enter a women’s restroom, which led to the fight.
Issarajnuwat, who is the son of regional army commander Maj. Gen. Witthaya Wankawisan, was hospitalized with a broken nose, broken jaw, fractured teeth and injury to his left eye. The 23-year-old student told police that after he complained about the incident, the guards beat him on the order of one of the actors.
Celebrities at the scene included Channel 3 soap opera actors Prin “Mark” Suparat, Nattapohn “Taew” Tameeruks, Nittha “Mew” Jirayungyurn, Benjasiri “Bow” Wattana, Lakana “Aum” Wattanawongsiri and her boyfriend Kritsana “Ball” Amitsoon.
Most actors at the scene stepped up to tell reporters that while they were at the bar Friday night, they were not involved with what happened.
“We went there for dinner. We don’t know what really happened there because we sat at a table which was really far from [Issarajnuwat’s] table,” Lakana said at a press conference last night in Chiang Mai.
The CCTV cameras at the venue were broken, according to owner Thanin Loedamrungkul. Maj. Gen. Montri Samboonnanon, chief of Chiang Mai city police, said justice would be served equally for both sides.
The incident overwhelmed traditional and social media and was widely debated over the weekend. Most of the blame went toward the celebrities, whose Instagram accounts were flooded with harsh comments.
Malin Sky Bar’s contract with Chiang Mai Complex Project was reportedly terminated, and its Facebook page was no longer available Monday.
