Police hunt thugs who brutally attacked British family in Hua Hin

[tukkytuktuk]

I see the article has just appeared in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper. So it is certainly gaining 'legs'

Whilst it is a repeat of the news.com.au , albeit a shorter version, one should take time to read the many Australian readers comments at the bottom.

Apart from crime, historically, another problem which hard economic times brings is xenophobia and racism. People need someone to blame and hate for their problems.

The world is not a great place at the moment.

A Thai violently smacks down an Elderly Farang Woman? That has to be a 'gamechanger'. never thought I would see that. Two sides to the story?

The guardian newspaper an hour ago

Three members of a British family were punched to the ground and knocked unconscious by kicks to the face during an attack at a Thai beachside resort.

The holidaymakers, including a middle-aged woman, were attacked by several men during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok that is popular with older Europeans.

CCTV footage posted online shows a vicious and prolonged assault in a street, which starts when a young British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle, who appears to push him to the ground.

The British woman takes the Thai man to the side and an argument ensues. Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid.

Although the attack occurred on 13 April, the video only recently made it on to the internet. The family are believed to be still in Thailand but leaving soon.

Local media said on Thursday that police had arrested three men in their 20s and 30s who were charged. Reports said a fourth was still at large.

The victims were said to be a man in his 40s and his parents, both in their 60s.

“The perpetrators said they were drunk. They have also apologised to the family,” Police Colonel Chaiyakorn Siradecho told the Thai news website Khaosod English.

The website said the younger man had several stitches on his head, while the father had a head wound with swelling. The mother’s head injury had left her with occasional headaches, it added.

The three men were freed on bail awaiting trial for causing bodily harm.

Another local news website, Thai New Agency, posted a story on 17 April with photos of two men in the custody of Hua Hin police. The accused wore bullet-proof vests, a customary practice of Thai police when presenting suspects to the public.

During the Thai new year’s Songkarn festival, also known as the water festival, major streets are turned into a giant water fight for three days as people party continuously. The water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal.

The British embassy had launched a safety campaign to make sure tourists were aware of the dangers. Car accidents spike during the festival and revellers are often drunk – but attacks on tourists are rare.

An anonymous user posted in a Hua Hin-based online forum on 13 April, hours after the assault, giving an eyewitness account of the attack and saying he was attacked himself while trying to intervene. In the footage a man in a red and white striped shirt does step in, but is himself attacked and overwhelmed.

“By the end of the night (around 2am) as the bar’s customers were leaving, gangs of Thai youths were priming themselves to start punching westerners,” said the user, using the alias “usual suspect”, who added he had walked out of a bar in the Binta area right behind the three victims.

“The girls in the bar I was in all night waved goodbye to two elderly customers and their son, and my wife and I followed only seconds after them,” he wrote.

“Within 20/30 metres of leaving the bar the Thais were punching the 65yr old lady in the face!! The elderly gentleman was down on the floor and their son was beaten very badly.”

He said that he was left needing dental work for his own injuries. “I got severely punched and kicked for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/28/british-trio-beaten-unconscious-in-thailand-during-holiday

What has the Thai Premier have to say about this?

What has the tourism minister have to say?

Why wasn't this reported sooner?

[misterphil]

Vigilante groups need to be formed to sort these pricks out.

[Roomuck]

This video should be shown to all potential tourists.

If you come to Thailand and want to start arguing with Thais at a Thai festival and then start throwing punches, then this is what will happen.

I can't understand all the farang apologists taking the farang side (as usual) here when the farangs started it. Did anyone actually watch the video before jumping to conclusions?

The farangs started it, and were taught some manners. They should be blacklisted for life. Twice the size of the Thais (even the women). Disgraceful behavior.

[spidermike007]

Yeah, a punch in the head can be dangerous.

The farang guy threw the first one, though.

You mean after his son was thrown onto the concrete, and potentially killed by the impact?

[chiang mai]

Vigilante groups need to be formed to sort these pricks out.

She an older lady, I don't think she needs sorting out as you put, just some education in other cultures perhaps.

[I am not a robot]

Wow. There's a lot going on in that video. Here's my analysis:

Who's who in the zoo - what they look like - what violence they committed:

Mother – white hair - slapped Beer hand, grabbed his shirt, manhandled him, maybe grabbed his hair

Father – purple floral shirt - punched Beer hand

Son – black shirt, baseball cap - grabbed tall black from behind, later

Beer hand – shorts, light floral short sleeved shirt, has beer in hand.- Shoved son, later stomped his head a few times

Tall black –tall guy, dark clothes, long pants, red pattern on front of top. - king hit father from the side, kicked him in face while he was down, punched mother on chin, punched son (forehead?), kicked son 3 times in head while down.

Skinny black – dark blue tshirt with red pattern on front, dark shorts, whitish sneakers, medallion. - hit mother in face while she was on her feet, stamped sons head, vicious kick to fathers face while he was on all fours, vicious kick to mothers face when she sat up.

Red 10 –a few punches and knees to Striped shirt

Skinny blue dark blue t shirt, white logo on front. Did not hit anyone.

Striped shirt – passerby who got involved, attacked red woman by mistake

Peacemakers:

Mini green – small thai guy in green shirt and red pants.

Red woman – Thai woman, red shirt long hair

White Tee – white t shirt, black baseball cap

Blow by blow of the video:

(0:00) Beer Hand and tall black enter from lower left. Beer Hand is haranguing tall black. Pointing, getting in his face. Tall black just wants to avoid him. Mini green also follows, and appears to also have a problem with tall black, and is verbally backing up beer hand.

They pass the family coming the other way. The son gives him a “get out of the way” one arm push (0:18), not strong. Beer Hand gently bumps into tall black, turns, follows son, and gives him a shove (0:20). Son looks around, trips, and goes down, appearing to bang his face on the table or bench.

Mom and dad confront Beer Hand, with mom getting in his face, grabbing the front of his shirt(0:26), and holding him there, pointing at her son and speaking animatedly. Beer Hand does not appear to be agressive, and stands with his arms at sides, beer still in left hand. Mini green stands to the side of them, hands between them, acting as peacemaker.

Dad goes to help son up(0:40). Mom appears to have the front of Beer Hand's shirt, she gives him a shove towards the curb(0:40), pointing at it, perhaps saying “wait right here until the police arrive”. He continues to passively resist. She slaps the side of his face quite hard at this point(0:50).. Mini green again tries to calm things down Beerhand's hands come up for the first time, maybe he takes a hold of her, she takes hold of his upper arm and continues to try and manhandle him to the curb(0:58)..

Meanwhile, Tall Black has not left the scene, but is visible up near the crowd, where his meets his friends skinny black, skinny blue and red 10. (0:24). Strangely, he appears to want to continue walking off into the crowd, but skinny black holds him by the arm and stops him (0:28). They huddle together and talk over the noise. In fact, it almost seems like one man (skinny blue?) is aggressively talking at Tall Black , who tries to walk away or turn away. (0:48) For some reason they all drift together towards where mom and beer hand are standing. They don't appear to be aware of what is happening.

At this point several people join mom, beer hand and minigreen, forming a knot of people around mom and beer hand.. Son is back on his feet, and father and son press in close. (0:58) tall black also comes back on the scene, followed by skinny black and skinny blue. He puts one arm around mom and beer hand’s neck, and puts his head between them.(1:00) [not sure what's going on there] passerby WhiteTee joins the knot to try and defuse things along with minigreen (1:10)

It’s hard to see what’s going on, but the main action is mom vs beerhand at the center. There is shoving, and she grabs someones hair(1:10). Son grabs tall black from behind and pulls him back (1:14)

Father circles around the knot of people sees an opening and punches beer hand in the face.(1:13) Kind of hard to see who he hit, but it wasn’t tall black, and Beer hand goes down on his ass. Skinny black then punches mom in the face. (1:17) Tall black breaks free of son, and he and his mates help beerhand to his feet, the two groups temporarily separate. (1:22)

Striped shirt also ambles into the scene and goes up to mom.(1:25) In the background, red woman is holding back red 10, who wants to get in on the action. (1:28)

White Tee seems to be earnestly giving advice to the mom, (1:23) but it's too late, as tall black circles around, then comes at the father from the side with a massive king hit (1:30). Father goes down, tall black kicks him in the face, father rolls over to lie face down. Mom and son see this, and advance towards tall black. Tall black pops mom in the chin. (1:38) She goes down on her back. He punches son on the forehead. (1:40) He goes down. Skinny black stomps sons head. (1:44) Tall black kicks son 3 times in the back of the head. (1:45)Beer hand puts in a couple of stomps on sons head. (1:49) This is the first time he has actually hit someone that we can see, apart from the first push, and he has been slapped and manhandled by mom and punched by dad at this point. After the stomps, beer hand turns and walks off alone. Skinny black kicks father viciously in the head while he is on all fours. (1:47) Something goes flying off dads face – teeth, dentures or broken glasses. Mom groggily sits up in time for a vicious kick from skinny black to the chin. (1:50)

At the same time, there is a separate melee in the background. red 10 breaks free of red woman, (1:30)strikes ineffectually at son from behind, runs around to the other side of the group, where he runs into striped shirt, who grabs him. (1:33) Red 10 punches and knees striped shirt. They break apart, red woman runs in between them. (1:43) Red 10 goes for striped shirt again, who is covering his head. In the melee striped shirt mistakes red woman for red 10, hoists her up and dumps her roughly on the ground (1:47)before beating a retreat back the way he came.

With all 3 family members out cold, tall black, skinny black, skinny blue and red 10 leave the scene, with red 10 giving son a kick in the head for good measure. (2:07)

Comments:

Beer hand was a drunk belligerent <deleted>, but he wasn’t that violent. He submitted to Mom’s chastisement. It was only when she manhandled and slapped him that his arms came up, shortly before Dad punched him onto his ass. He didn’t initiate any serious violence although he did put a couple of cowardly stomps on sons head.

Mom is to blame for the injuries her family suffered, sorry to say. Sure she was pissed off because she thought that guy had assaulted her son, but there were other ways to respond. She escalated by grabbing and holding the drunk guy, she escalated by trying to manhandle him to the curb (it almost seems like she was making a citizens arrest), she escalated by slapping him hard on the face then grabbing his arm, his hair and whatever. Beer hand eventually stopped submitting to her, and started manhandling her in return. This caused her husband to step in and punch beer hand. That punch caused two other punches. One to the mom immediately (by skinny black), then one shortly after to the father (by tall black). Even when the father was down, she (and her son) continued to advance on tall black. Tall black even warned them with a pointed finger. He wasn’t chasing them down for a beating. They were coming at him. (1:35)They should have cut their losses and tended to their father. If the mother had let go of the beer hand at any point, they could have walked away. Live and let live, right? Obviously the behaviour of the four men was despicable, but it's just a fact that she made some terrible choices and those choices let to a terrible outcome.

What is the relationship between beer hand and tall black? I think that they didn’t know each other (based mainly on how beer hands walked off alone), but had some sort of altercation off screen before the clip starts.

Tall black is strange. Right up until he stumbles onto the beer hand/mom fracas at (1:00), his entire attitude had been one of non confrontation and avoidance. Beer hand followed him, grabbing and pestering him while he just wanted to get away from him. Even when he met up with his friends in the background, they seemed to be getting in his face while he tried to walk away. He and his friends were not party to the initial confrontation, they didn’t see it occur, they weren’t looking in that direction. they stumbled (perhaps literally) onto a scene where they saw a woman attacking a guy, saw the dad sucker punch that guy, and the son grabbed one of them and restrained him. That is all tall black and his friends needed to go nuts. Violence can excite violence in others, and some people, in any part of the world, are on a hair trigger.

[Geordie59]

Yep, s##t happens sometimes, had Songkran been celebrated in UK, the hoodies and the chavs would've created more havoc and mindless violence than this. All the "share this with everyone you know" crowd, are you also this enthusiastic about sharing good experiences you may encounter in TH, or do you just enjoy a good whinge?

Let me guess.

You own or have an interest in a hotel and not quite enough customers, right ??

How else can you excuse 5 or 6 kicks to the head of someone on the floor.

Thai Songkran exuberance or farang tourist stupidity for lying on the floor whilst being in the direction of the kick ?

The internet is stuffed full of people's good experiences in Thailand.

That doesn't mean we should hide the darker side of things here. And for me, a male who kicks a defenceless woman in the head just as she is recovering conciousness is not worthy of being called a man.

Sadly I doubt that the penalty for these thugs will not fit the crime.

[Geordie59]

Yep, s##t happens sometimes, had Songkran been celebrated in UK, the hoodies and the chavs would've created more havoc and mindless violence than this. All the "share this with everyone you know" crowd, are you also this enthusiastic about sharing good experiences you may encounter in TH, or do you just enjoy a good whinge?

Let me guess.

You own or have an interest in a hotel and not quite enough customers, right ??

How else can you excuse 5 or 6 kicks to the head of someone on the floor.

Thai Songkran exuberance or farang tourist stupidity for lying on the floor whilst being in the direction of the kick ?

The internet is stuffed full of people's good experiences in Thailand.

That doesn't mean we should hide the darker side of things here. And for me, a male who kicks a defenceless woman in the head just as she is recovering conciousness is not worthy of being called a man.

Sadly I doubt that the penalty for these thugs will not fit the crime.

[Thechook]

Somebody needs to share that video will news agencies back home...Put some fire under the government's ass to do more to protect its donors to thailand's GDP.

I think you're a bit late it's in all the international press.

in the Australian news. Thailand depicted as a dangerous place for tourists. Thailand needs to round up a few scape goats and keep some in reserve

[siamcrut]

Ok

[Thechook]

In the Australian news. Thailand depicted as a violent and unsafe destination for tourists.

[Asheron]

Great example of thai racism.

[spidermike007]

I see the article has just appeared in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper. So it is certainly gaining 'legs'

Whilst it is a repeat of the news.com.au , albeit a shorter version, one should take time to read the many Australian readers comments at the bottom.

Apart from crime, historically, another problem which hard economic times brings is xenophobia and racism. People need someone to blame and hate for their problems.

The world is not a great place at the moment.

A Thai violently smacks down an Elderly Farang Woman? That has to be a 'gamechanger'. never thought I would see that. Two sides to the story?

The guardian newspaper an hour ago

Three members of a British family were punched to the ground and knocked unconscious by kicks to the face during an attack at a Thai beachside resort.

The holidaymakers, including a middle-aged woman, were attacked by several men during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok that is popular with older Europeans.

CCTV footage posted online shows a vicious and prolonged assault in a street, which starts when a young British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle, who appears to push him to the ground.

The British woman takes the Thai man to the side and an argument ensues. Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid.

Although the attack occurred on 13 April, the video only recently made it on to the internet. The family are believed to be still in Thailand but leaving soon.

Local media said on Thursday that police had arrested three men in their 20s and 30s who were charged. Reports said a fourth was still at large.

The victims were said to be a man in his 40s and his parents, both in their 60s.

“The perpetrators said they were drunk. They have also apologised to the family,” Police Colonel Chaiyakorn Siradecho told the Thai news website Khaosod English.

The website said the younger man had several stitches on his head, while the father had a head wound with swelling. The mother’s head injury had left her with occasional headaches, it added.

The three men were freed on bail awaiting trial for causing bodily harm.

Another local news website, Thai New Agency, posted a story on 17 April with photos of two men in the custody of Hua Hin police. The accused wore bullet-proof vests, a customary practice of Thai police when presenting suspects to the public.

During the Thai new year’s Songkarn festival, also known as the water festival, major streets are turned into a giant water fight for three days as people party continuously. The water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal.

The British embassy had launched a safety campaign to make sure tourists were aware of the dangers. Car accidents spike during the festival and revellers are often drunk – but attacks on tourists are rare.

An anonymous user posted in a Hua Hin-based online forum on 13 April, hours after the assault, giving an eyewitness account of the attack and saying he was attacked himself while trying to intervene. In the footage a man in a red and white striped shirt does step in, but is himself attacked and overwhelmed.

“By the end of the night (around 2am) as the bar’s customers were leaving, gangs of Thai youths were priming themselves to start punching westerners,” said the user, using the alias “usual suspect”, who added he had walked out of a bar in the Binta area right behind the three victims.

“The girls in the bar I was in all night waved goodbye to two elderly customers and their son, and my wife and I followed only seconds after them,” he wrote.

“Within 20/30 metres of leaving the bar the Thais were punching the 65yr old lady in the face!! The elderly gentleman was down on the floor and their son was beaten very badly.”

He said that he was left needing dental work for his own injuries. “I got severely punched and kicked for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/28/british-trio-beaten-unconscious-in-thailand-during-holiday

What has the Thai Premier have to say about this?

What has the tourism minister have to say?

Why wasn't this reported sooner?

What does the PM or the tourism minister have to say about this? Absolutely nothing. Less than zero. Probably not even on their radar, as they are about as tone deaf, and incompetent as they come.

[Thechook]

On the Australian news, not painting a nice pic of Thais or thailand

[nemrut]

The vicious attack was uncalled for but look at it from Thai perspective.

All too often farang drunk or otherwise, treat Thais with disdain and openly disrespect them by intentionally bumping into people or pushing them out of the way like the Brit in the video did.

If a certain type of visitor to your country often repeated such a pattern of behavior, there would be pent up anger and hostility as well.

Let's not forget how common it for Brits to be even more violent toward each other over a football match so let's quit demonizing Thais.

[forumuser10]

We have to remember, in the eyes of many Thais, (we are whitey farang) that is, extremely different from Thais, we are "the other", "them". So it is is easy to gather and fight against "the other".

To be fair though, it seemed like these old people were not exactly trying to avoid the confrontation. Seemed like the old lady tried to lecture some of the Thais, something I see over and over again here, which in all fairness I can see why some Thais gets annoyed at. No one wants to be belittled.

Furthermore, it seemed like the old lady physically attacked one of the Thais before she had it coming.

If you are in another country and some tension arises, just eject yourself from the situation. Not defending the Thais action here, but they could probably have avoided the attacks.

But farang is farang, "them", "the other", "the different one", just keep that in mind when you are here, and keep cool, and you will minimize the risks.

[Nasrullah]

If Thai people hate farangs, why do they keep marrying them?

MONEY..........And don't you try to tell me otherwise!

Why do foreigners marry thais?

Because the majority of them are social,inept losers back home.They just don't want to be known as the'lonesome loser'....

but in reality,most are deluded fools!!!

You know everything about Thailand, it's culture and relationships, I can tell!

The truth hurts hey!!...........I know enough.......problem is foreigners know(inately) but choose to live in illusion.....

[Dodgydownunder]

Most likely they will get fined only 250 Baht each, since the ladyboys who knocked out a tourist in Pattaya were fined 500 Baht each, but they used a stone as weapon. The thugs in the video used "just" fists and feet...

How about a serious crackdown on foreigners who dare to walk around in Thailand? Perhaps hunt all foreigners in Thailand down for loitering? That would be a good start, no?

Most likely not, actually.

This happened in Hua Hin, the King's residence and not in Pattaya!

In Hua Hin different rules apply, and you can take my word that these thugs will be severely punished and after the photo shoot almost surely already took a serious beating by the cops.

Trust me, I know some of the police very well and any crime against foreigners is treated very differently in Hua Hin compared to Samui, Phuket and Pattaya for example.

Even more so now since the Army took over the country...

Sorry about the scepticism, but I would have to see this to believe this, especially as they are from "powerful" families in HH.

[stander]

I see the article has just appeared in THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper. So it is certainly gaining 'legs'

Whilst it is a repeat of the news.com.au , albeit a shorter version, one should take time to read the many Australian readers comments at the bottom.

Apart from crime, historically, another problem which hard economic times brings is xenophobia and racism. People need someone to blame and hate for their problems.

The world is not a great place at the moment.

A Thai violently smacks down an Elderly Farang Woman? That has to be a 'gamechanger'. never thought I would see that. Two sides to the story?

The guardian newspaper an hour ago

Three members of a British family were punched to the ground and knocked unconscious by kicks to the face during an attack at a Thai beachside resort.

The holidaymakers, including a middle-aged woman, were attacked by several men during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok that is popular with older Europeans.

CCTV footage posted online shows a vicious and prolonged assault in a street, which starts when a young British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle, who appears to push him to the ground.

The British woman takes the Thai man to the side and an argument ensues. Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid.

Although the attack occurred on 13 April, the video only recently made it on to the internet. The family are believed to be still in Thailand but leaving soon.

Local media said on Thursday that police had arrested three men in their 20s and 30s who were charged. Reports said a fourth was still at large.

The victims were said to be a man in his 40s and his parents, both in their 60s.

“The perpetrators said they were drunk. They have also apologised to the family,” Police Colonel Chaiyakorn Siradecho told the Thai news website Khaosod English.

The website said the younger man had several stitches on his head, while the father had a head wound with swelling. The mother’s head injury had left her with occasional headaches, it added.

The three men were freed on bail awaiting trial for causing bodily harm.

Another local news website, Thai New Agency, posted a story on 17 April with photos of two men in the custody of Hua Hin police. The accused wore bullet-proof vests, a customary practice of Thai police when presenting suspects to the public.

During the Thai new year’s Songkarn festival, also known as the water festival, major streets are turned into a giant water fight for three days as people party continuously. The water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal.

The British embassy had launched a safety campaign to make sure tourists were aware of the dangers. Car accidents spike during the festival and revellers are often drunk – but attacks on tourists are rare.

An anonymous user posted in a Hua Hin-based online forum on 13 April, hours after the assault, giving an eyewitness account of the attack and saying he was attacked himself while trying to intervene. In the footage a man in a red and white striped shirt does step in, but is himself attacked and overwhelmed.

“By the end of the night (around 2am) as the bar’s customers were leaving, gangs of Thai youths were priming themselves to start punching westerners,” said the user, using the alias “usual suspect”, who added he had walked out of a bar in the Binta area right behind the three victims.

“The girls in the bar I was in all night waved goodbye to two elderly customers and their son, and my wife and I followed only seconds after them,” he wrote.

“Within 20/30 metres of leaving the bar the Thais were punching the 65yr old lady in the face!! The elderly gentleman was down on the floor and their son was beaten very badly.”

He said that he was left needing dental work for his own injuries. “I got severely punched and kicked for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/28/british-trio-beaten-unconscious-in-thailand-during-holiday

What has the Thai Premier have to say about this?

What has the tourism minister have to say?

Why wasn't this reported sooner?

An anonymous user posted in a Hua Hin-based online forum on 13 April, hours after the assault, giving an eyewitness account of the attack and saying he was attacked himself while trying to intervene. In the footage a man in a red and white striped shirt does step in, but is himself attacked and overwhelmed.

This anonymous poster, is a spiteful Thaibasher and anything he says needs to be taken with a pinch of salt

[Sabrinus]

Another 100 Baht fine.

[dunroaming]

Hopefully this will get aired extensively. Time to lift the veil and give the world a wake up call as most people still believe that Thai people are gentle, placid and friendly. Some are but like everywhere some are just the opposite and the problem is growing

[dotpoom]

Absolutely horrible .....but wait,... all you people suggesting this kind of stuff would only happen in Thailand. How many times have I heard on the news of attacks on homes in isolated country.areas...where families are tied up and beaten until they hand over whatever valuables they have (if any) or does not not happen in your own country.....it certainly does in mine.

[Thaidream]

The prior poster has hit the nail on the head. The ladies slap is what caused the situation to escalate out of control. However, the Thais who punched and kicked over reacted and should be held accountable. Had this happened in the West, the lady and here son would have been charged with assault and the Thais for a violent assault. Whether all of them would be jailed is unknown but they would all have criminal records. What the outcome will be here in Thailand will most likely depend on how much analysis goes into viewing the clip and how much Thailand wants to protect its tourist industry. Frankly, In my opinion all of them should be fined and given jail sentences, most likely suspended. The Thais should be given community service and educated about alcohol abuse.

There is no doubt that alcohol played a big part in this situation. Since the bars were just letting out, I would venture to say all the participants had a few too many drinks and were not in control of there actions. Songkran has taken on a very ugly feel within the last 10 years. It should only be for 3 days but now lasts up to 10 in some areas There should have been a huge police presence in that area at that time. The police did not do their job that night because they were nowhere to be found. Had they been there, they may have been able to defuse the situation. They need to be taken to task for this. In addition, foreign embassies need to publish information regarding the do's and dont's for a country so their citizens can be made aware of the facts of life.

I do not believe most Thais hate or even dislike foreigners. However, their is 'foreigner fatigue'. There are too many foreigners coming into Thailand at certain times and the country cannot handle the differences in culture. Thais used to think that all foreigners, especially 'farangs' were highly educated; polite; and represented a superior lifestyle. What they mostly see now are 2 week millionaires who come for prostitution and drunken debauchery. Some of the behavior of our citizens is abhorrent. Now Thais look at us and wonder- what type of person are we- they have lost respect for us . On the other hand Thai society has denigrated into a me only society where manners are not existent and youth act out due to a lack of guidance from anyone. Parents, schools, temples and the government are all responsible for this. I could also say this about our own countries. I can't imagine a situation where my grandfather and grandmother would even consider slapping or pushing anyone in a foreign country or in their own country. There is way too much violence ingrained into every society and way to much emphasis placed on freedom without and responsibility.

This incident should be widely published in a truthful manner so both the West and Thailand can learn something from this incident and everyone look at themselves in the mirror.

[Thechook]

Absolutely horrible .....but wait,... all you people suggesting this kind of stuff would only happen in Thailand. How many times have I heard on the news of attacks on homes in isolated country.areas...where families are tied up and beaten until they hand over whatever valuables they have (if any) or does not not happen in your own country.....it certainly does in mine.

How many times have we heard of a pack of animals attacking elderly tourists in other countries. This is about thai animals attacking senior farang citizens in Thailand and not a burglary in another country. Stop defending scum who prey on tourists in Thailand. I hope it happens to your elderly parents if you support this.

[ameadi]

Best wishes for a quick recovery

[phantomfiddler]

Truly shocking, but alas the thai male is conditioned from an early age that it is completely within his rights do do whatever he pleases

[Choctastic]

What a pity. I was there that evening and remarked to friends about what a fantastic atmosphere there was. After 11 years of Songkrans, I have never seen such an influx of young men all in one place and most were very polite dabbing powder on my face. Bintabaht and surrounds was bursting to the seams.

It is easy to get paranoid about attacks like this but I don't know of any other incidents that night and would still rather be here than among the feral youths from sink estates, in the UK. I could not imagine British yobs being as friendly.

Maybe these people did not know but it pays to repeat it. NEVER EVER get involved in an argument with a Thai. There are no Marquis of Queensbury rules and there is no such thing as a fair fight.

[Stardust314]

Notice the Thai government did not make any apologies for the victims. These animals will never see real justice. Visitors are crazy to get into crowds of Thai people. Animals like this are all over the country. Foreigners have no protection under the law here. Better stay at home. When you look at the number of foreigners that die here yearly it is a great number. Many seem to fall off balconies of hotels. Did you ever see a Thai go to jail for these crimes. Avoid large crows of drunk Thai people!

YOU HAVE BEST COMMENT HERE!

we give them trilions usd last 20 years and now generation what grove from t show us respect ... i dont have words

ts 7-15 years jail in my country . i ask law yesterday.

dailymail have 3,8 milions subs. + average 2 milions readers per day..its BIG power ! and i put it on reddit for another MILIONS.

[Thechook]

You need to watch the video in full screen several times to see what happened, what I see is:

Two intoxicated males arguing with each other, both unsteady on their feet.

A farang wearing a black cap and holding a womans hand walk in the opposite direction, one of the drunken Thai men make (accidental?) light bodily contact with his man - he staggered a little and wasn't watching where he was going.

The Thai man took the contact as deliberate and turned after the man, he then pushed him but not hard.

But the farang in the black cap lost his footing and fell heavily against the step and lay there for a moment.

That was the start of the whole thing, innocent bodily contact misinterpreted and fuelled, I guess, by alcohol.

But then the action starts as the foreigners and the Thai's start to talk and then argue, the result pretty quickly is that the female foreigner slaps the Thai mans face and moments later, a white male in the group punches one of the Thai's.

It's game over at that point as the Thai men have lost face and want revenge, the details don't need to be discussed again.

What would you have done? I would have got the group to walk away after picking up the man who fell heavily, if it was me who had fallen I would have picked myself up and walked away, trying to argue and chastise the Thai's in their condition, at that time of night, in that location, was a non-starter - slapping the guys face in public had a highly predictable outcome.

I saw the Thai in the white shirt, black shorts, holding a bottle of something push the elderly farang in the back as he walked past. The elderly female spoke to the Thai who immediately received backup from his tough thai mates

[foxteen]

When tourists visit Thailand especially for the first time they are seen as no more then walking cash dispensers by the Thais. The Thais will try to extract them from their cash by any means possible, cheating, ripping them off and even by intimidation to make them pay up. Problems arise when tourists react to being ripped off and then the Thais that don’t cope well with confrontations, will start over reacting and lose control. Even where I live and the locals that have known me for years will still try to rip me off at every given opportunity only I’m wise to it and then it becomes like a game but it always ends amicably because I know how to deal with these situations. This is all part of the joys of living in paradise. But I have heard even the locals will try to rip each other off so it’s not just me, seems to be a Thai thing.

I do now think Thailand is a dangerous place for tourists and when they come over should keep with the organised tours or at least have an experienced guide or someone that knows the ropes with them when they venture out. Crimes and scams are all too frequent occurrences in Thailand against foreigners and what I think is now on unacceptable levels. There are certain areas and places in Thailand that should be given a red alert for tourists because awareness is the key.

There are certain areas and places in Thailand that should be given a red alert for tourists because awareness is the key...Quite agree and we all should inform others not to be there. Quite a bit of Thais don't like Foreigners and don't take long to know that