Fan-tastic feud: Foreigner claims bar girl stole 130 baht, throws fan

Police summoned a foreign man and his wife for questioning yesterday after he accused a bar worker in the Isaan province of Udon Thani of stealing 130 baht and throwing a fan at one of the bar girls.

The owner and workers at the Sky Blue bar in Udon Thani sought justice yesterday, October 14, by sharing video footage of the rampage caused by the drunk foreign man, later identified as 60 year old Max, with Thai news agencies. In the video, Max, who was wearing a yellow shirt, was arguing with the owner, Wasitthi.

Max was heard stating in both Thai and English that his bill was 870 baht, and he did not receive his 130 baht change. Wasitthi pointed to Max’s foreign friend and told him that his change was with his friend. Max ignored the explanation and suddenly swept a glass from the table to the ground.

Max did not stop there. He rushed to grab the pink fan and threw it at a worker standing in the bar. He then grabbed another fan and attempted to hit Wasitthi with it but she managed to avoid the blow.

Wasitthi later revealed to Channel 7 that her worker had already given the change to Max. Another foreign man wanted to prank Max, so he secretly kept the money, which made Max angry and led to his violent behaviour, as seen in the video.

Wasitthi reported the incident to the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station and submitted the CCTV footage as evidence. Max and his Thai wife were later summoned for questioning yesterday.

Wasitthi demanded compensation from Max but he refused to pay despite more than 20 minutes of discussion. Max and his wife requested to inspect the damages before agreeing to pay the compensation. Max gave a brief interview with the media.

“I’m a straightforward person. I’m willing to take responsibility for my wrongdoing.”

Wasitthi told Channel 7 that she has been operating the bar for more than seven years and had never witnessed such a violent act before. She wanted Max to apologise to her and her workers and to pay compensation.

The police arranged a follow-up meeting for both parties after assessing the cost of the damages.