Italian Man 'Stabbed By Mistake' In Phuket

[webfact]

Italian man 'stabbed by mistake' in Phuket

Phuket Gazette

Italian tourist Giovanni, on his first visit to Phuket, says the stabbing was most likely a case of 'mistaken identity'. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: -- The Italian man who was stabbed at Nai Harn Beach on Monday night has told the Phuket Gazette that he was probably “stabbed by mistake”.

Giovanni, 33, who asked for his family name not to be published, is recovering at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, in Phuket Town, where he was released from the hospital’s intensive-care unit (ICU) yesterday.

He was rushed to the hospital after being stabbed in the back. The wound, so deep that it punctured one of his lungs, required immediate surgery.

Giovanni’s cousin, Donna, who lives and works in Phuket, told the Gazette that Giovanni and her brother Mario were attacked by a gang of youths at the beach.

“Giovanni and Mario drove to Nai Han Beach on separate motorbikes at about 9.30pm after having dinner with us,” she said.

Her brother Mario and the sibling’s parents had to come to Phuket to visit Donna.

“Giovanni got off his motorbike and Mario was still sitting on his motorbike with the engine running when they were approached by about eight teenagers – between 17 and 20 years old – who were sitting on four motorbikes nearby,” she told the Gazette.

The “teenagers” walked up and surrounded Giovanni and Mario.

“They said something that my cousin and my brother did not understand,” said Donna.

Mario, still on the motorbike, sped away from the gang, while Giovanni tried running away.

“They chased them and one of the gang stabbed my cousin in the back while he was trying to get on the back of Mario’s motorbike, who had stopped to wait for him,” said Donna.

“Mario raced to hotel nearby and the hotel staff rushed them to my house, which is about two kilometers away in Rawai. I called Bangkok Hospital for an ambulance to take him to the hospital,” she added.

Giovanni was released from ICU yesterday only after doctors were sure he no longer needed assistance to breathe.

“I would like the police to do something. The police already got the report on the same day,” Donna told the Gazette.

“I don’t know why they attacked us because we did not have any fight with them. We didn’t know them at all. We had just arrived [at the beach],” said Giovanni, who speaks little English.

“I’m not sure whether they thought we were someone else who they had a problem with,” he told the the Gazette.

Giovanni and his male friend arrived in Phuket at 6pm on Monday. It is his first visit to Phuket.

He came to visit his cousin Donna, who lives and works in Phuket with her husband. The couple both work for a tour company.

Giovanni and his friend originally planned to fly to Bangkok and return to Italy at about the end of the month.

Their plan is now being reconsidered.

Mario, and his and Donna’s parents, left Phuket on Tuesday morning.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2012/article12061.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-01-20

[laurentbkk]

What a great way to welcome tourists .... Dont you love Phuket ? I wonder if police will at least search for those teenagers ..

[johnmtjames]

Police will say Farang fault another attempted self harm?

[mrtoad]

Another day in paradise

[alstaxi]

What a great way to welcome tourists .... Dont you love Phuket ? I wonder if police will at least search for those teenagers ..

The playful youths will have no baht, so why would the bib bother to find them. Phuket, a wonderful place for tourists.

[krading]

Mistaken for a cruise ship captain perhaps.

[Briggsy]

Phuket, what a lovely place for a family holiday. Nothing like this has happened before.

[newermonkey]

Oh, I am so shocked (not)

Late night, drug soaked youths, farangs apear in thair pathetic patch.

This is what the moronic youth of today do for kicks (and money for more ice and more gigs).

[harrycallahan]

Random attacks happen, don't know he'd say he was stabbed by mistake. Imagine if a Thai person visited Italy and a bunch of Italian youth surrounded him and stabbed him. "Racist! Hate crime!".

[visions]

The US Embassy issued the terrorist warning in Bkk.

All Embassies should be issuing warnings about the everyday happenings of thug/terrorist attacks in Phuket. Anyone with a litttle knowledge of the place would never venture to go there. There are far nicer places than that cess pool.

[wxyz]

the Tourism agencies will be marching on the italian embassy soon as well

"Tourism agencies eye march on embassy over US terror warning"

TIT, welcome to the land of smiles

Back Stabbers - The O'Jays

(What they do)

(They smile in your face)

All the time they want to take your place

The back stabbers (back stabbers)

(They smile in your face)

All the time they want to take your place

The back stabbers (back stabbers)

Edited January 20, 2012 by wxyz

[Just1Voice]

"Mistake"? Nope! Deliberate attempt on the man's life. Guy goes to the beach, is surrounded by 6 or so punks who have one thing in mind - taking whatever he has that might be of value, and will use any means necessary to get it.

Of course, only a total fool would think the BiB will actually do anything about it. Every single person who goes to this cess pool and has something happen to them should be posting it on their websites, such as Face Book, and everywhere else they can. When that starts happening, then the word will start to spread in the international community and people will see Phuket for what it really is. Only when the tourists find other places in Thailand to go - and there are many - and the money starts to dry up for the Mafia, will something be done about it. Until then it's business as usual.

[EyesWideOpen]

This is such an obvious thread to bash Phuket no need to even start.... :-) I can only hope that as Phuket's reputation as a crime ridden cesspool spreads thanks to the Internet, that all the tourists will stop going there. Then the sharks and vipers that infest the place will feed upon themselves. To the good Thai people that work there ,I am sorry for them. Perhaps they should organize a protest march on city hall, and vent their anger at the government for letting the mafia take complete control of the island.

[Asianrider]

Mistaken for a cruise ship captain perhaps.

not a helpful comment....

[blackthorn2005]

This appears to be a very low profile case with no interest from the police, completely the opposite of the Thai HiSo guy who was attacked in Phuket.

[Willeyeam]

Random attacks happen, don't know he'd say he was stabbed by mistake. Imagine if a Thai person visited Italy and a bunch of Italian youth surrounded him and stabbed him. "Racist! Hate crime!".

Racist hate crimes only involve white people attacking coloureds - coloured people attacking whites has no relevance at all! It is usually a cry for help as they are so let down by their governments and marginalised by society, forced into the situation by evil white people!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom

But that isn't a Race Hate Crime is it?

Edited January 20, 2012 by Willeyeam

[bridge2bridge]

PHUKET

PARADISE LOST.

[Willeyeam]

This is such an obvious thread to bash Phuket no need to even start.... :-) I can only hope that as Phuket's reputation as a crime ridden cesspool spreads thanks to the Internet, that all the tourists will stop going there. Then the sharks and vipers that infest the place will feed upon themselves. To the good Thai people that work there ,I am sorry for them. Perhaps they should organize a protest march on city hall, and vent their anger at the government for letting the mafia take complete control of the island.

Maybe they should rally at the US embassy in protest too! Easier to blame others for their own problems.

[Jimi007]

"Mistake"? Nope! Deliberate attempt on the man's life. Guy goes to the beach, is surrounded by 6 or so punks who have one thing in mind - taking whatever he has that might be of value, and will use any means necessary to get it.

Of course, only a total fool would think the BiB will actually do anything about it. Every single person who goes to this cess pool and has something happen to them should be posting it on their websites, such as Face Book, and everywhere else they can. When that starts happening, then the word will start to spread in the international community and people will see Phuket for what it really is. Only when the tourists find other places in Thailand to go - and there are many - and the money starts to dry up for the Mafia, will something be done about it. Until then it's business as usual.

Very dramatic. I live a bit over 5 minutes by motorbike from this area. I was just there this evening. I've never had a problem around there and I've lived around the area for six years. I also know I wouldn't go down by Nai Harn lagoon at 9:30 PM and pull up next to a gang of kids on motorbikes...

There is some encouraging news about a cabinet meeting to take place here in Phuket later this month about the taxi, tuk tuk problem and the lack of real public transit around all of Phuket. It sounds like the Central Bangkok Government might have heard enough and is taking an interest in trying to solve these problems that can't be solved on a local level. Also there is a new police commander who has said he is going to take on the jet ski scams and bar closing times as well as other tourist scams. We'll see if their words turn to action when confronted by the powerful "families" that run all these "businesses."

Edited January 20, 2012 by Jimi007

[sirchai]

Looks like a language barrier to me. Couldn't it have been this way?:

The Italian checked into a hotel room. Then calling the receptionist: " Ello, I wond a sheet on da bedd."

The receptionist furious:" When you shit on the bed, I'll stab you with a long knife."

The Italian, not understanding the hotel guy: " I no care, I wond a sheet on da bedd now."

Unknown witnesses have seen that the Italian got stabbed with a steak knife made in Italy....

Edited January 21, 2012 by sirchai