PHUKET — International incident took place at Phuket’s department stores between Chinese women and a male expat along with Thai wife, assault claims and counter-claims.
On August 21, Pol. Lt. Col. Yutthaphon Promdao, an investigator at the Wichit Police Station in Phuket, received a complaint from Ms. Yoyo and Ms. W, both Chinese nationals. They reported that at around 2:10 p.m. on August 19, Miss W, the mother of Miss Yoyo, was visiting the Phuket Foresta shopping mall with Miss Yoyo’s children when they became involved in an altercation with a foreign man and a Thai woman, as a result of which they were assaulted.
Ms. Yoyo stated that the incident occurred in front of the Hermès store. Her mother accidentally bumped into the male expat, whereupon she immediately offered a wai (a traditional Thai gesture of apology).
However, the expat responded with vulgar language. Ms. Yoyo then asked the foreigner in English, “What did you say? Who are you insulting?” The man then approached her and kicked her, causing her to fall to the ground. Her mother rushed over and helped her up.
Subsequently, a Thai woman, believed to be the wife of the expat, also came over and pushed her again. Ms. Yoyo then called her Thai husband, informing him that she was being assaulted inside the mall and asked him to contact the police. At this point, the foreign man and the Thai woman attempted to leave.
Ms. Yoyo followed them, asking them to stay until the police arrived, but they refused to stop. She then grabbed hold of the foreign man, leading to a struggle that left her injured. The expat and the Thai woman eventually exited the mall through the front door and left in a taxi heading towards Kathu District on Wichit Songkhram Road. Ms. Yoyo recorded the taxi’s license plate number and provided it to the police.
Following the incident, Ms. Yoyo went to Vachira Phuket Hospital for a medical examination and then proceeded to Wichit Police Station to file a complaint, requesting the police to track down and prosecute both individuals involved.
A video clip of the incident was shared on the Facebook page “Hod Jung Phuket,” lasting 3 minutes and 19 seconds. The post described the incident as a heated altercation between foreigners in a famous Phuket mall, noting that the Chinese victim had already filed a police report, alleging that she was assaulted by a male expat after he bumped into her and failed to apologize.
The post drew numerous comments from internet users, many of whom noted that Thailand has become a battleground for foreigners and that neither party in the dispute is willing to back down.
Most recently, officials have scheduled a meeting for the lawyers of both parties to meet with the investigating officers this Wednesday evening.
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