A Thai woman and a group of Italian tourists were involved in a heated argument aboard an train after she complained that they were making too much noise, according to a video shared on TikTok.

The clip, posted by user 1234aaawry and reported by Manager Online on 24 July 2026, has prompted widespread online debate. There has been no confirmation of the incident from relevant authorities or the other party involved.

Footage shows row over noise

The video shows the tourist group talking loudly and shouting inside the carriage, prompting the Thai woman, who filmed the exchange, to take out her phone and record them.

One of the tourists then appeared to swat at or cover the camera in an apparent attempt to stop the recording. The woman told them: "Please tell them to be quiet."

The warning escalated the situation. A male tourist reportedly asked her angrily, using an expletive, what her problem was.

The woman said she wanted the group to keep their voices at a normal level because they were in a public place and should not disturb other passengers.

Argument turns personal

A member of the tourist group responded with a remark which included an expletive and was translated as: "Sorry for bringing money into your country."

Both sides then exchanged insults. The tourists said they had been loud because they did not know which station they needed to get off at, claiming their guide had not given them the information.

The woman replied that, if they were tourists, they should use the Sukhumvit line instead, saying the route they were travelling on was mainly used by local people for their daily commute.

Towards the end of the clip, some members of the group said they would call police, saying there was a person under 18 in their group. The woman replied: "Call the police." As the train reached the next station, both sides shouted "bye-bye" at each other sarcastically before separating.

What visitors should take from it

For foreigners living in Thailand or visiting the country, the dispute is a reminder that public transport is generally treated as a shared, relatively quiet space, particularly during commuting hours. Being unfamiliar with a route or station is unlikely to be seen by fellow passengers as a reason to disturb a carriage.

Online commenters were divided, although many backed the woman's decision to challenge the noise. Several criticised the suggestion that spending money in Thailand could excuse ignoring local manners or rules.

The video continues to be shared and discussed online.

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25 July 2026

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UPDATE

Italian Embassy Facebook Page Hit by BTS Fracas Comments

Picture courtesy of TNR

The Italian Embassy's Facebook page was flooded with comments from Thai netizens after a reported confrontation between a Thai woman and a group of Italian youths on a BTS Skytrain on July 24.

The woman reportedly asked the group to lower their voices because they were disturbing other passengers. The dispute later went viral after the Facebook page "Jae Moy v+" published a photograph under the caption: "Bad behavior by foreign tourists on the BTS."

According to the post, the youths made rude gestures, including raising their middle fingers, after being asked about the noise.

Embassy page receives angry responses

By the evening, Thai users had posted a large number of comments on the Italian Embassy's Facebook page. Some comments have since been restricted on certain embassy posts, while the embassy had issued no official statement on the matter at the time of publication.

Comments criticised the alleged conduct and questioned whether the youths had been taught proper manners. One said Italy should teach children respect from the time they can speak, while another wrote: "Money can't buy manners."

Other users referred to Thai lessons on consideration and good conduct, and urged the embassy to issue a press release. One commenter warned that silence could lead to cultural abuse being directed at Italian visitors outside hotels, adding a reference to pineapple pizza.

Open letter calls for investigation

Earlier, Facebook user Prat Samsee posted an open letter in English addressed to Italian Ambassador Paolo Dionisi and relevant parties.

Prat referred to reports that the group had made excessive noise, then allegedly responded to requests to lower their voices with remarks insulting Thai people, including: "Sorry for bringing money to Thai people."

He also cited allegations of middle-finger gestures, abusive language and attempts to obstruct recording of the incident. The letter said such behaviour showed a serious lack of courtesy in a public place and undermined the dignity and humanity of others.

Prat asked the embassy and relevant authorities to investigate. If the reports were established, he called for a formal warning, acceptance of responsibility and an apology to those affected.

He stressed that the actions of a small group should not be treated as representative of Italians generally, noting that Thailand and Italy have maintained warm and friendly relations for many years.

The Italian tour operator has apologised for the incident.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, TravellingFox, an Italian company that organises educational trips to Thailand, said it regretted that the incident had created an impression that did not reflect the company's values.

The company said the group consisted of young students, many of them minors, taking part in a study trip aimed at learning about a new culture and fostering respect for the host country.

It acknowledged that youthful enthusiasm can sometimes lead to excessive behaviour in public but said this did not excuse inappropriate conduct.

"Individual actions do not represent the values of our tour operator, nor the behaviour of the majority of students," the statement said.

TravellingFox added that it has been bringing thousands of students and travellers to Thailand for more than 20 years and expressed its respect and gratitude to the country and its people.

The company said it would continue promoting responsible travel based on cultural exchange, mutual respect and personal responsibility.

25 July 2026

The Thai woman is making things worse by her comments. She is badmouthed and the words she is using are not decent at all. Apparently she is the only one who has a problem with the tourists, all others are watching their phone. Sadly the Thai woman has no idea that in Thailand they maybe don't peak loudly in the BTS but everywhere you go they do. Just watch TV and see in shows how they screams, in soaps and even the news. a few houses from me there is a family and one of the daughter and her father speaks so loudly every time that we can hear word by word what they are talking about. You can't expect that tourists know everything from a country, so she can't blame them. The Thai woman must be ashamed that people who come on holiday, spend their money here and have fun are being treated like this. There is no law that states that loud speaking in a BTS train forbids. So there is no need to say shall we call the police..This is damaging Thailand much more than she knows, Thailand means a free country, but it seems more and more that there is no freedom at all. Everything is controlled

Edited July 24Jul 24 by ikke1959

6 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

The Thai woman is making things worse by her comments. She is badmouthed and the words she is using are not decent at all. Apparently she is the only one who has a problem with the tourists, all others are watching their phone. Sadly the Thai woman has no idea that in Thailand they maybe don't peak loudly in the BTS but everywhere you go they do. Just watch TV and see in shows how they screams, in soaps and even the news. a few houses from me there is a family and one of the daughter and her father speaks so loudly every time that we can hear word by word what they are talking about. You can't expect that tourists know everything from a country, so she can't blame them. The Thai woman must be ashamed that people who come on holiday, spend their money here and have fun are being treated like this. There is no law that states that loud speaking in a BTS train forbids. So there is no need to say shall we call the police..This is damaging Thailand much more than she knows

The farangs are annoying. She is annoying. Sadly 50% of humans have no class. Bad genes.

Just a bunch of kids, what would you expect.. add a woman with PMS and watch the sparks fly!

I must admit the Japanese manners of not talking on the phone on a train is very civilized.

Edited July 24Jul 24 by jacko45k

1 minute ago, Rockyroad said:

Sadly 50% of humans have no class. Bad genes.

FAR fewer than that 😔

I think they are both to blame. I don't know why the woman confronted them. If you ask me that's not very Thai either. They are clearly kids late teens maybe 20 ish. Also, according to Bangkok Post, as the confrontation heated up, she told them, in English, to 'shut the f- up'. Thai culture? Yes, the tourists should be more respectful and quieter on public trasport - they act like excited 14 year old kids - but that's no excuse to berate them. I bet she doesn't tell Thai high school kids to stop laughing and stop speaking loudly on BTS - and many Thai students are like that. She seems to have a chip on her shoulder - maybe she doesn't like farang tourists in general and this was her chance to say so. Who knows - but this is not a big deal - Thai media, however, are making it one.

54 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Who knows - but this is not a big deal - Thai media, however, are making it one.

The xenophobia of Mr Anutin and government is of course debet on this. The media are controlled and as we can read the last months a lot of negative news about foreigners is published. And than they are wondering why tourism is going down. But how welcome do you feel if everything is under a magnifier.. skating on the road, loud talking in a BTS, no t shirt wearing in a shop, and many more silly cases

Nowhere near as bad as a group of Chinese shouting and yakking at each other, Indians are not much better either. Does not take much to stoke up the netizens into a xenophobic furry.

A day or two in a detention facility, or fine the tourist operator would send a strong message.

Love that “Sorry for bringing money to your country.”  top lofty arrogance Great way to win friends and influence the locals when you travel overseas. Still an enlightening episode. That famous quote "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is not anything Italians actually teach their kids.
Who knew?!

15 minutes ago, Zimar said:

A day or two in a detention facility, or fine the tourist operator would send a strong message.

15 minutes ago, Zimar said:

WHY??

From what I saw, they were simply excited kids enjoying their holiday.

The Thai woman chose to engage with them, and in doing so she escalated the situation rather than helping to calm it. Her own behaviour became rude and confrontational.

The easiest way to diffuse the situation would have been the typical Thai approach of simply ignoring it for the one or two BTS stops they were on.

The children weren't making a major issue of anything until she aggravated the situation.

Much ado about nothing.

As for the comment about "bringing money into the country," that's a common expression used worldwide by someone who feels they're being unnecessarily berated by a local over something trivial.

16 minutes ago, Dcheech said:

Love that “Sorry for bringing money to your country.”  top lofty arrogance Great way to win friends and influence the locals when you travel overseas. Still an enlightening episode. That famous quote "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" is not anything Italians actually teach their kids.
Who knew?!

Lofty arrogance or a common expression used worldwide by someone who feels they're being unnecessarily berated by a local over something trivial.

If anyone was displaying lofty arrogance and trying to imply Thais behaved better than this, (which in my experience I have seen many instances where they don't), it was the Thai woman constantly wishing to engage with them.

What's your name? Where you come from? etc etc

And Thai people don't do this, that and the other blah, blah

Edited July 25Jul 25 by Scouse123

Thais scream at people when talking to them when they are physically stood next to them.

What exactly is this woman's problem?.................. The wrong time of the month?

Then hot on the heels a lecture in broken English on Thai etiquette closely followed by expletives in English.

A fine example she is setting.

1 hour ago, ronnie50 said:

I think they are both to blame. I don't know why the woman confronted them. If you ask me that's not very Thai either. They are clearly kids late teens maybe 20 ish. Also, according to Bangkok Post, as the confrontation heated up, she told them, in English, to 'shut the f- up'. Thai culture? Yes, the tourists should be more respectful and quieter on public trasport - they act like excited 14 year old kids - but that's no excuse to berate them. I bet she doesn't tell Thai high school kids to stop laughing and stop speaking loudly on BTS - and many Thai students are like that. She seems to have a chip on her shoulder - maybe she doesn't like farang tourists in general and this was her chance to say so. Who knows - but this is not a big deal - Thai media, however, are making it one.

Most accurate post of what occurred on the BTS to date.

I totally agree with you.

A Thai 'Karen' .... too funny.

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Just a bunch of kids, what would you expect.. add a woman with PMS and watch the sparks fly!

I must admit the Japanese manners of not talking on the phone on a train is very civilized.

I’m with the Eyeties on this.Excited kids on holiday.None behaving badly.Also the entitled Thai lady was the only one to swear.

I thought Thais loved noise.

14 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I thought Thais loved noise.

Yes.....but they don,t like others being noisy...disrespectful LOL

45 minutes ago, Keeenok Powell said:

I’m with the Eyeties on this.Excited kids on holiday.None behaving badly.Also the entitled Thai lady was the only one to swear.

Yeah, the kid giving her the finger is a widely used image. But... and I don't know.. Was that a response to the Thai women telling them in English to "shut the f- up"? If so, then not a big deal. If he did it early on in her lecture, then it is out of line.

Social media amplifies the ridiculousness of this all the more. Probably ends with wai's and flowers at the hotel the kids are staying in and has been published online before the mob gets out of hand.

6 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The woman said she wanted the group to keep their voices at a normal level because they were in a public place and should not disturb other passengers.

Yes, they were being boisterous, somewhat obnoxious teenagers. But it looks as though they made up more than 75% of the passengers in that car, so I'm not sure how many people were disturbed. And this was rapid transit, not a long haul flight - it's not as though they were interrupting people's sleep.

6 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The woman replied that, if they were tourists, they should use the Sukhumvit line instead, saying the route they were travelling on was mainly used by local people for their daily commute.

Absolutely none of her business where any fare-paying passenger wants to go, or which line they want to ride.

6 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

For foreigners living in Thailand or visiting the country, the dispute is a reminder that public transport is generally treated as a shared, relatively quiet space, particularly during commuting hours.

They were annoying, yes. So was the woman egging them on. So are the loud advertisements. So are people talking on phones. It's life in a big city. Get over it. The BTS isn't a library.

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Other users referred to Thai lessons on consideration and good conduct, and urged the embassy to issue a press release.

5 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Prat asked the embassy and relevant authorities to investigate.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with the embassy. These were private citizens on a private trip. I'm sure the embassy staff wish this had never happened and that the outcry would stop, but as long as no laws were broken, they have no dog in this fight.

57 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I thought Thais loved noise.

Its about disrespect not noise per se.

The privilege of people who think that just because they're spending money allows them to do as they please is sickening. All visitors (anywhere) should try to learn, respect and appreciate cultural and societal norms, and behave accordingly. Not all Thais are perfect (no one is), that's not the point, but as a visitor, ignorant of your current surroundings, and behaving in a way that the majority local community (in this case on public transit), by and large, does not, just proves that you are of bad manners and upbringing.

My only question is how many Thais has she lectured about making noise on public transit? They blast their music on their phone and shout into the phone set on speaker for all to hear. My guess is that she's lectured zero Thais because she'd get the s hit punched out of her by some taxi rider type.

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The xenophobia of Mr Anutin and government is of course debet on this. The media are controlled and as we can read the last months a lot of negative news about foreigners is published. And than they are wondering why tourism is going down. But how welcome do you feel if everything is under a magnifier.. skating on the road, loud talking in a BTS, no t shirt wearing in a shop, and many more silly cases

Yes. While I'm not sure Anutin is behind this, I have to admit the Thai media really like publishing even minor issues of foreigners doing wrong. They should indeed report on the major issues - like the murder of a teenage girl and placing her body in a suitcase. Or major drug busts or scams. Otherwise, talk about biting the hand that feeds when the country needs more tourists. The constant drip feed of 'bad farang' or 'bad Indian/Chinese' news reports develop a stereotype in the general public's view of foreigners and tourists. That's not in the nation's best interests.

These are clearly watered down Italians.

I expect to see a lot more hand gestures from Italians.

It was acceptable to politely inform tourists about local customs.

But that Thai woman had a potty mouth.

Tolerance goes both ways. If you're going to invite massive millions of foreign tourists into your country, I would suggest that Thai education may want to teach tolerance of cultural differences as a learning experience rather than an offense.

The funniest part was suggesting that f-rangs should stick only to the Sukhumwit line.

Talk about xenophobia.

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

These are clearly watered down Italians.

I expect to see a lot more hand gestures from Italians.

It was acceptable to politely inform tourists about local customs.

But that Thai woman had a potty mouth.

Tolerance goes both ways. If you're going to invite massive millions of foreign tourists into your country, I would suggest that Thai education may want to teach tolerance of cultural differences as a learning experience rather than an offense.

The funniest part was suggesting that f-rangs should stick only to the Sukhumwit line.

Talk about xenophobia.

Don't 20yos know how to use google maps? Idiots.

"The company said the group consisted of young students, many of them minors, taking part in a study trip aimed at learning about a new culture and fostering respect for the host country".

If many of them were minors, where was their guide/chaperone?

It also looks like the aim of the study trip failed miserably.