Drunk & disorderly: Chinese vandal wreaks havoc in Bangkok hotel

Police arrested a drunk Chinese vandal after he smashed up electronic devices and furniture at a hotel in the Sathorn district of Bangkok.

Tungmahamek Police Station officers were alerted by a hotel manager on the Southern Sathorn Road yesterday, May 19, that the 30 year old Chinese man, whose identity remains undisclosed, went on a rampage.

Upon arrival, officers found traces of burning on the room’s door and multiple damaged objects inside the room. The Chinese guest was under the control of hotel staff and security guards.

The Chinese man, after recovering from intoxication, revealed to officers that he checked into the hotel at about 3.11am on May 18 and stayed until 7am of the next day. He confessed to drinking alcohol and damaging numerous hotel items while intoxicated.

The Chinese national reportedly used a cigarette lighter to burn a room door (15,300 baht) and a room service call button (3,000 baht) and smashed many items, including a glass window (50,000 baht), a 55-inch television (25,000 baht), a door outside his hotel room on the 15th floor (5,000 baht), a lamp (2,500 baht), a marble table (35,000 baht), and bedding (15,000 baht). The total damage was about 150,800 baht.

The Chinese man faced three charges including:

• Section 217 of the Criminal Law: setting fire to another person’s properties. The penalty is imprisonment from six months to seven years and a fine from 10,000 to 140,000 baht.
• Section 358 of the Criminal Law: causing damages to another person’s properties. The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
• Section 378 of the Criminal Law: putting himself in a state of drunkenness by consumption of alcoholic beverage or other intoxicant substance, and causing troubles in public places. The penalty is a fine of up to 5,000 baht.

In a related report, an American man caused damage to a car belonging to a Thai man in Phuket province in April. He smashed a window of the vehicle while intoxicated, claiming he was attempting to retrieve his friend’s mobile phone from the car.