PHUKET – Two New Zealanders were arrested on Saturday in Phuket after they assaulted a traffic police officer who tried to stop them for speeding on a motorcycle but refused to stop and later tried to steal his handgun, with a shot accidentally fired, during the struggle but hits no one.
The officer, Police Senior Sergeant Major Somsak Noo-iat suffered from arm and leg injuries.
The two New Zealanders, Oscar Matson Day, 36, and Hamish Day, 34, were charged with assaulting a police officer, conspiring to commit robbery, assembling to fight or obstruct officials while performing their jobs, and driving without a licence.
The speeding occurred in front of a noodle restaurant on Chao Fah Tawan Ork Road, Phuket’s Muang district, after the two Kiwis failed to stop when notified and after Somsak pursued them to a nearby street-side noodle shop, take a video clip of the two, before being assaulted by them. They were arrested when police reinforcement arrived.
Miss Jutharat, who works at a bakery, claimed she heard two gunshots and went outside to find out, where she saw two foreigners fighting with one police officer. Nobody dared to intervene because foreigners had guns. So she and other witnesses called Chalong Police Station to assist the policeman and arrest the foreigners.
“I don’t want anything this violent to happen. She stated that foreigners and Thais are able to live together as long as they respect each other’s rules.
Another witness, Somnuek Chankong, described the incident as frightening. He didn’t dare step in to help because he didn’t have a weapon. He encouraged the police to continue performing their responsibilities so that tourists may travel to Thailand with confidence.
Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, AKA “Big Joke”, late on Sunday instructed immigration police to revoke the visas of the two New Zealanders, and to ban them from reentering Thailand.
