Tourist says man assaulted her after she refused to pay 50 baht for Koh Samui viewpoint
A Thai man is being accused of hitting a Russian tourist during a heated argument when she refused to pay a 50 baht entrance fee to a viewpoint on Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast.
The 33 year old woman and her partner went to a local police station and reported that the man hit her on the cheek and rib. A video shot by a bystander shows the tourist yelling at the 57 year old Thai man while the partner tried to break up the fight.
The tourists were driving a motorcycle around the island and decided to check out a popular viewpoint named Overlap Stone to take photos and watch the sunset. A Thai man was at the entrance of the viewpoint and asked for an entry fee of 50 baht (around US$1.50).
Reports say the woman claims that her glasses and necklace, which costs around 30,000 baht, were damaged during the incident. She also claimed that the costs for an X-ray and medicine for her injured rib, cheek, and nose costs 5,920 baht.
The Thai man, who works as a caretaker of the privately-owned viewpoint, says there is a sign informing visitors that the entrance fee is 50 baht. Reports say also claims that he just meant to poke the woman, and she slapped him first. He claims he reacted instinctively.
