BANGKOK – Late Monday and early Tuesday of March 6, 2024, tensions escalated between groups of Thai and Filipino transgender people on Sukhumvit Soi 11 in Bangkok, resulting in injuries on both sides, including police who were present at the scene. This matter has sparked criticism and provoked nationalism on Thai social media.
It was reported that a group of about twenty Filipino transgenders have been surrounded by an angry mob of hundreds Thai transgenders at a hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 11 early Tuesday at 3.30 a.m. after an earlier rumble at 5 a.m. on Monday where the Thai side said they were taunted, given a middle finger, and attacked first – 20 Filipinos against four Thais – and video footage spread on social media in the Philippines.
Police had to call for backup to ensure the safety of some Filipino transgenders who were trapped inside a hotel and being targeted by the angry Thai mob. Despite police efforts to calm the situation, violence ensued, with some Filipino transgenders being physically assaulted as they were escorted out of the hotel.
@khaosodenglish At 3.30 a.m. Tuesday, Thai police escorted the Filipino transgenders and asked the crowd not to get violent, but the Thai transgenders rushed forward and attacked the Filipino people relentlessly. The Thai side stated previously that at 5 a.m. on Monday, 20 Filipinos attacked four Thais and published video footage to spread ridicule on social media. #filipino #thai #transgender #sukhumvit11 ♬ original sound – Khaosod English
Around 3:50 a.m., the chaotic situation reached its peak when about 10 Lumpini police officers, along with police vehicles, gathered in front of a hotel to protect the first group of two Filipino transgender people who were leaving the hotel. Meanwhile, a group of several hundred Thai transgender people shouted nationalist slogans such as “Thailand!” and “Get out!”
When the police accompanied the Filipino transgenders and requested the gathering of people not to be violent, the Thai group threw bottles at them in the presence of the police. They then rushed forward and attacked the Filipino people relentlessly. They even jumped into the middle of the police formation to continue the attacks.
The police were unable to bring the situation under control quickly, but they were able to do it later by bringing both parties involved to be questioned at the police station.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Witawat Chinkam, commander of Metropolitan Police Region 5, said on Tuesday police are finding out whether there’s an influential Thai group behind Filipino transgenders selling sex at Sukhumvit Soi 11. Police are awaiting information from the Immigration Bureau to check the history of the group of Filipino transgenders.
Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies who openly identifies as LGBTQ+, commented that while the initial reaction to the news may be amused at the situation as a clash between Thai and Filipino transgenders, a more nuanced understanding reveals a deeper issue.
Recent incidents, including the one in Phuket where locals gathered to demand the deportation of Swiss tourists, reflect a rising sentiment of nationalism that rejects foreign intrusion. While legal measures can address such incidents without resorting to violence, the underlying challenge remains fostering peaceful coexistence and neighbourly relations within the ASEAN community.
“All right then. My advice might sound compromising, but from years of teaching nationalism, if the flames of nationalism are ignited, extinguishing them becomes difficult, and both sides will suffer. This doesn’t even touch on the need to peacefully coexist with our neighbors, especially within ASEAN. Shouldn’t we love each other? And this attempt to build a common regional identity, is it all crushed today by the onslaught of Thai transgender troops?,” said Pavin.
Thanyawat Kamonwongwat, LGBTQ MP for the Move Forward Party, stated that this matter must also be fair, as the Filipino ladyboy group involved in the incident does not represent the majority of Filipino transgenders. We must hold individuals accountable for their inappropriate behaviour.
Thanyawat added that this angry incident shows the fact that LGBTQ individuals are already disadvantaged in society and that working as a sex worker is illegal, leaving them helpless to seek justice from any side. Both service users and employers took advantage of them, secretly allowing foreigners to work in this sector despite having tourist visas. As a result, these groups believe they have been treated unfairly.
The LGBTQ MP also stated that since Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin supports equal marriage and LGBTQ+ people’s gender identification, the government ought to speed up and carefully consider the drafting of regulations that benefit sex workers.
