KOH PHANGAN – On March 19, 2024, a Russian woman was charged with assault by police on Koh Phangan after she kicked a pregnant Thai woman. The Russian apologized for her behavior, but the Thai woman pressed charges.
The incident took place on the afternoon of March 18. The Thai woman, Mrs. Sathika, 34, was working in her natural products store in Koh Phangan when a foreign woman with shoes and a coffee cup entered the store. A sign on the front door of the store stated that entry with shoes was not permitted.
Mrs. Sathika explained to the foreigner in English that she was not allowed to wear shoes in the store or bring drinks from outside into the store. However, the foreigner ignored her. The pregnant woman repeated her request, to which the foreigner replied that her shoes were not dirty.
When Mrs. Sathika insisted that the foreign woman take off her shoes, the foreign woman kicked her twice on the right leg, causing slight abrasions. The foreign woman then walked away.
Mrs. Sathika went to the police station to report the incident and posted a picture of the foreign woman from the store’s CCTV camera on social media, hoping someone would recognize her.
Koh Phangan police and immigration authorities identified the foreign woman as Ms. Alena, a 41-year-old Russian national. They invited her to the police station for questioning, where she admitted to kicking the Thai woman. She apologised to Mrs. Sathika, who accepted her apology but insisted that the police press charges to defend her rights and her baby. The police then charged Ms. Alena with “assault.”
