Thai teens arrested for battery after slapping elderly foreigner on the head with shoe

[happysanook]

not a big deal. What kind of bullshit we did in this age?

here the clip. funny https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1394522607452268&set=vb.221317851322226&type=2&theater

The point is that they targeted a foreigner. Can you imagine them doing this to a 58 year old Thai person? It would never happen. The head is also considered the most sacred part of the body by Thai, which makes this even worse (or funnier, depending on your level of ignorance/disdain for foreigners).

[BKS22]

They've got Thai teens running around robbing people with guns and REALLY beating the shit outta some tourists....and they choose to go after and find the pair that smacks a guy with a slipper. Brilliant!

Viral...making LOS look bad online really gets the coppers motivated around here.

[darrendsd]

I'm Italian, I'm over 60, any punk gets in my grill, with arm raised above my head (slipper or no slipper or unknown purpose), gets knocked out with one punch. End of story!

Are you Ex Special Forces by any chance?

[1daz]

oh come on when i read and see all the comments i thought his foot was still in his shoe but it was a " flip flop " and it sounds like its the sort of thing that all thai kids do

can't see what all the fuss is about

the old man looked more confused than hurt lol

no one got hurt, no one died

[colin2]

UPDATE

Teens Arrested For Beating Italian With A Shoe

By Khaosod Online

BANGKOK: -- Chiang Mai police have arrested a pair of teenagers who randomly hit an Italian passer-by with a shoe, and uploaded a video clip of the incident on the internet afterwards.

The two 16 year old suspects have been charged with causing physical and mental harms for the crime which allegedly took place in front of a gift shop called ′Freebird′ in Mueang district in late September.

The victim, an Italian national named Mark Monti, filed the report to Chiang Mai police on 20 October, claiming that the teenagers attacked him unprovoked, hitting him in the face with a shoe.

Police then quickly solved the crime, as they reportedly had possessed some information on the suspects prior to Mr. Monti′s report.

The accused admitted to their crimes, stating that they, along with two other friends, left their college that morning with the intention to ′find someone they could prank on′, police officers said.

They allegedly found Mr. Monti later and decided to attack him with the sandal as recorded in the video.

In the press conference announcing the arrests of the two suspects, Pol.Col. Aksorn Wongyai, Chief of the Chiang Mai police station, said the crime has damaged the good images of Chiang Mai city, a popular tourist destination.

According to Pol.Col. Aksorn, Mr. Monti did not initially wish to pursue legal charges against the teenagers in the first place. However, the video soon went viral on the internet and his friends started asking about the incident, causing Mr. Monti′s embarrassment.

He eventually sought police supports to arrest the suspects and demanded their apologies. The teenagers’ parents and teachers were also asked to acknowledge the suspects′ actions, Pol.Col. Aksorn said, and Mr. Monti will not pursue any further action.

"We have contacted the teenagers′ parents to inform them about their children′s action." said Pol.Col. Aksorn, "The case will proceed according to the legal procedures, and the accused should be fined no more than THB 500 each.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1qTTBNVEF6Tmc9PQ==

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-10-21

Its what it says on the guys shirt , Its Physical education .

[dknslowly]

What % of Thais are unconsciously envious of actually doing such a thing.

A significantly small percentage than those who would be outraged by the act of slapping a sandal on someone's head, especially and older person. It is a significant slight to a Thai.

Case in point being the police caught them and fined them not to mentioned embarrassed them. Thumbs up on this case.

[MMarlow]

For crying out loud: This was a prank!!

Not an attack on the son of a holocaust survivor!

Not an attack on the white man!

Not disrespecting the elderly!

Someone dared him. And he was brave/stupid enough to do the stunt. Ofcourse it was more fun/daring with a farang. All while his friends took the video and posted it on u-tube.

Reading the replies here, I wonder if the average age on Thaivisa is 90+

How do you know he isn't the son of a holocaust survivor? Would that be the only situation that you considered reportable?

It did involve a white man.

Do you consider the attack to be a way of empathising with and respecting an older person?

Why do you have a problem with your perceived age of the posters on this forum?

[colin2]

I'm Italian, I'm over 60, any punk gets in my grill, with arm raised above my head (slipper or no slipper or unknown purpose), gets knocked out with one punch. End of story!

Are you Ex Special Forces by any chance?

Or special needs ?.

[uptheos]

The head, shoe and elderly are all very significant here and a disgraceful prank in Thai society.

[monkeycountry]

And so another couple of thais learned that the penalty for hitting someone else is 500 baht. For their next prank they will be using a knife thinking the penalty will be the same - and in many cases they are right!

[colin2]

In the USA or Europe it would have been done with a glass bottle or a gun instead of a dirty flip flop !. This keeps Thai face intact !.

[Zodaka]

Racial and cowardly behavior is on the increase outside of Bangkok where once upon a time people could always be relied upon to be friendly and well mannered. Thais are braver and more brazen about showing their true nature which is that they don't like foreigners especially in fairer skinned cities and town centers. I partly put the change down to the rise in the minimum wage as well as subsidy programs.

[Lancelot]

So much for Thais respecting people older than themselves.

Oh, it was only a foreigner and we aren't really people...

[worgeordie]

Mountain out of a mole hill comes to mind with this one, masks, police photo ops.

what a waste of time and effort.

16 year old kids just doing it for a dare, if it had of been a baseball bat,and mugging

that would have been a crime.

regards Worgeordie

[stickylies]

slapping someone with shoe on the head is what? the utter most NOT DONE thing around here?

these kids *knew* they did something very VERY offensive and knew indeed they could do it to a foreigner but NEVER to a thai.

i say let them keep the 500 baht and let the foreigner do the same thing to all three of them.

SHOE ON HEAD (tap!)

SHOE ON HEAD (tap!)

SHOE ON HEAD (tap!)

it doesn't matter how old the foreigner is: shoe on head is NOT DONE!

[Sydebolle]

How about 200 hours of community work around elder people for each of them?
Might have a longer-lasting impact than the THB 500, but then again - Thailand!

If the foreigner would have taken the case to court he might have been seeing a dismissal of case as ....... the incident was fault. Let's face it, if he would not have strolled around the incident would have never happened - logic, isnt it?

[Torrens54]

Have to say it.

I wonder what would have happened to these idiot kids if the incident had taken place in Singapore?

"Me thinks," the CANE would have made a lasting impression on their backsides and that would also deter other clowns from doing the same sort of thing.

[gemini81]

I'm Italian, I'm over 60, any punk gets in my grill, with arm raised above my head (slipper or no slipper or unknown purpose), gets knocked out with one punch. End of story!

Are you Ex Special Forces by any chance?

Or special needs ?.

Internet tough guy on socialism's temporary pensions

[sirchai]

Thailand, the hub of head slapping citizens..-

[JoeThePoster]

At least in Japan the kids were pulling down panties.

Not even the bar girls really want to look inside an old mans pants !.

I hate to disappoint you, but there are no bargirls in Thailand.

[Angeledge777]

Here's my taught:

It can be a good joke, as we all do at a moment in our life. However, why ONLY foreigners? It would have been fun with Thais too!

Anyone have the link to the video?

[bkk_mike]

The 500 baht fine is pathetic, and almost shows just as much disrespect to the foreigner as the incident itself.

The kudos these little yobbos will get from their peers will be huge, and I can genuinely see a wave of copycats happening.

The police photo should have shown the Italian putting his shoes on their heads.

The symbolism of feet and head is probably more important here as there was no actual injury involved.

(And then the kids wouldn't have any kudos from the attack. Quite the opposite).

[lee b]

Not a clever prank that these boys did, but 500 b fine is a bit too small if you ask me

[upena]

Always about the precious image of Thailand.

[mancub]

The significance of the shoe/head interface is often over-played . It's an example of the gentle Thainess that TAT likes to promote , yet that I see as almost belonging to past generations.

Greed and materialism have taken over at such a pace that social values have rapidly been eroded .

Someone should re-write the guidebooks.

[gp2002]

So Thais can hit foreigners on the head but heaven forbid a foreigner touching a Thai on the head. Just love the double standards.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

A work colleagues 10 year old son was thrown to the ground and then kicked in the back by a full grown Japanese man at their condo building recently in Bkk. The assault was caught on CCTV. the father contacted the local BIB and then all parties went to the police station to sort this out. In true Thai justice fashion, the attacker was given a 400 baht fine and sent on his way. Does the punishment ever fit the crime here?

[Spare]

Why?

Farang don't have a sense of humor?

[Emdog]

Not a "prank" imho. Not only rude and aggressive, but stupider than most. I thought the shoe thing was a middle eastern custom? Foot is very low, as pointed out. Years ago gf told me about soldier shooting woman for just waggling bottom of her feet at them. If they want to "prank" go do it on their classmates, like we did as kids.... then they can get pranked back.

[FarangKino]

the Japanese pantie-pullers were savvy enough to wear masks!

Here they probably thought they would be national heroes. Don't the vast majority of Thais like the idea of slapping the odd farang on the head (beach flag pole / machete)?

Please don't excuse the generalisation!