Chuwit agrees to apologise and compensate TV anchorman for assault

BANGKOK: -- Though fists flew during a previous meeting, former gubernatorial candidate Chuwit Kamolvisit and TV anchorman Wisal Dilokwanit managed to settle their dispute peacefully at the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court yesterday.

Punchy interview

Wisal filed the libel suit after Chuwit - then a candiฌdate for Bangkok governor - accused him of being rude and lacking journalistic ethics during their Channel 3 interview in October. Chuwit punched his interviewer shortly after the cameras stopped rolling.

Following three hours of talks yesterday, Wisal said Chuwit had accepted his four requests - that he publish an apology in newspapers, pay his Bt100,000 medical bill, pay Bt100,000 in compensation for three working days lost, and pay the Bt100,000 legal costs for the assault and libel lawsuits. The court asked Chuwit to pay in 60 days.

"The incident caused me hearing problems for a month but I'm openminded enough to forgive," Wisal said. "If Chuwit meets the requests within 60 days, I'll drop all lawsuits and the police complaint."

Chuwit said the talks went well because both he and Wisal wanted reconciliation.

Commenting that Wisal was a good journalist and a likeable young man, Chuwit said he accepted the requests after having previously tried to apologise to him. Asked about the compensation, Chuwit quipped, "It's not much, I used to tip singers more than that."

-- The Nation 2009-05-07

Did he get a life time membership to one of Chuwit's Parks?