UDON THANI — On October 14, the tourist police in Udon Thani were searching for a Dutch man who appeared in a CCTV clip from a restaurant where a victim had filed a complaint. The man had reportedly caused a disturbance in the shop because he was unhappy about not receiving change for his meal. The police were looking for him at another restaurant in Soi Samphanmit.
The restaurant manager said that this Dutch man was his employer, along with his Thai wife. Usually, he was kind-hearted, and the manager was shocked to see him behave this way for the first time. The manager informed the police that if he found his Dutch employer, he would promptly notify them to meet with the police.
The incident occurred at 3:21 a.m. on October 13. The shop’s CCTV was able to record the event. In the clip, a foreigner wearing a yellow shirt can be seen talking to a Thai bargirl. After some conversation, this foreigner began to rampage, sweeping the table and causing ashtrays and glasses to shatter. He was shouting in English and Thai, repeatedly saying “money, money” and asking in Thai, “Why don’t you give me my change?”
The Thai bargirl argued back, pointing to a foreigner in a black shirt, saying, “I already gave you the change, but your friend in the black shirt took it.” The man in the black shirt claimed, “It’s my money!”
In the next clip, the foreigner in the yellow shirt, extremely dissatisfied that the bargirl wouldn’t return his money, walked over and threw a fan. Not content with that, he grabbed another fan and threw it as well, greatly frightening the bargirls in the shop.
Finally, Ms. Tui, the shop owner, had to pay 130 baht in change to the foreigner in the yellow shirt again to end the matter. She then filed a complaint at the Udon Thani City Police Station.
The bargirl stated that the shop had calculated their food bill to be 870 baht. They paid with a 1000 baht note, and she had already given them change. However, Mr. Mac’s friend, Mr. Lee in the black shirt, had pocketed the change without returning it to his friend, causing this temperamental foreigner, who was drunk, to go on a rampage.
At 2:30 p.m. on October 14, Mr. Mac, 61 years old, and his wife went to the Udon Thani City Police Station to negotiate with Ms. Tui, the bar owner, and Ms. Jub-jaeng, the bargirl. Ms. Tui told the tourist police that the incident occurred because Mr. Mac was impatient waiting for 130 baht in change, so he caused a disturbance and damaged property in the shop.
“We had already given the change, but Mr. Lee, Mr. Mac’s friend, took the money and put it in his pocket. We told Mr. Mac to calm down, that we were trying to get the money back from Mr. Lee, but Mr. Mac wouldn’t listen. He yelled, swept glasses and ashtrays, then threw fans. Luckily, I dodged in time,” Ms. Tui said.
She added that she thought Mr. Mac had gone too far. They run businesses in the same alley, and he also has a restaurant. She asked how he would feel if this happened to his restaurant.
Mr. Mac argued that he couldn’t accept women screaming and insulting him with vulgar words. He questioned why they didn’t just give him the change if they were going to give it to him anyway.
“Suppose you go out to eat, you’re the one who pays. You can’t give the change to someone else. I wanted my change; you should have given it directly to me, not to someone else,” he said.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Prabda Suksunthree of the Udon Thani Tourist Police revealed that the negotiation ended with Mr. Mac agreeing to pay for all damages. Once the complainant reports, he will pay in front of the investigating officer. Whether to proceed with legal action or not is at the discretion of the investigating officer at Udon Thani City Police Station. Initial checks revealed that Mr. Mac has been in Thailand for 24 years, married to a Thai wife.
Ms. Tui, the shop owner, said that initially, the property damage was estimated at about 5,000-6,000 baht. Regarding compensation for emotional distress, her partner would discuss it privately once more. She stated that they were willing to let the matter go without pressing charges.
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