Spitting mad: Russian tourist’s traffic light tantrum in Phuket

A Russian man spat on a Thai woman and tried to slap her at Wat Naka Intersection in Phuket on May 29 in anger over a traffic light misunderstanding.

The 46 year old Thai woman, Phatchareeya Rattanatorrakarn, accompanied by her husband, Boonyong Burirak, filed a complaint against the Russian at Vichit Police Station at 2pm on May 29. Phatchareeya said the foreign man spat on her and tried to assault her.

Phatchareeya recounted the incident to the police, saying Boonyong was driving along Chao Fah Tawan Tok Road and stopped at a traffic light in the right lane at the Wat Naka Intersection. While waiting, a sedan behind them repeatedly honked its horn.

The sedan driver honked long and loudly before moving to another lane on the right of Phatchareeya’s car to park next to her. The sedan driver lowered the car window, allowing Phatchareeya to see that he was a foreigner.

The foreign man then knocked on Phatchareeya’s window, asking her to open it and speak with him. As soon as she did, he reached into her car and attempted to slap her, but she managed to avoid the assault. He then insulted her with vulgarities before speeding away.

Phatchareeya was confident that she had neither annoyed the foreign driver nor broken any traffic laws. She suspected that he might have misunderstood the traffic light.

Russian apologises

Phatchareeya’s lane was for vehicles turning right and had to wait for a separate traffic light. The man may have thought he could drive straight into the lane and become angry with her and her husband for stopping even if the traffic light was green. However, that light was only for vehicles going straight on the other lanes.

Phatchareeya’s husband chased after the foreigner but could not stop him in time. They visited a nearby petrol station to clean her face, which was dirty with the foreign man’s saliva, before filing the complaint.

Police officers identified the foreigner as a Russian man but were unable to summon him because he had already returned to his home country. The foreign man sent his lawyer to the police station to acknowledge the charges.

The lawyer issued an apology on behalf of his Russian client and the suspect apologised to the victim via video conference. He said he would travel to Thailand in September to receive punishment. The man faces two charges, including:

• Section 295 of the Criminal Law: physically assaulting. The punishment is imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.
• Section 393 of the Criminal Law: insulting, humiliating, or causing damage to another person. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one month, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.