Foreign woman allegedly assaults Thai woman over seat dispute at Phuket airport
A Thai woman is seeking justice after an alleged physical assault by a foreign woman during a dispute over a seat at Phuket International Airport.
The 22 year old Thai woman, whose name has not been disclosed, shared her story with the Phuket Times yesterday, January 6. The incident occurred on the night of January 3 in Phuket Airport’s boarding lounge waiting area.
The Thai woman explained that she was waiting to board her flight at 10.30pm. She had been standing between gates 4 and 5 for a long time before noticing an empty seat. Seeing that no belongings were placed on it, she decided to sit down.
A foreign woman with blonde hair then approached her and shouted her.
“You cannot sit here. It’s for my husband.”
The Thai woman responded that the seat was for public use, explaining that she had been standing for a long time and simply needed to rest for a while.
Her response appeared to enrage the foreign woman further. She grabbed her black backpack and threw it at the Thai woman, striking her on the right side of her body.
The Thai woman said she was frightened but managed to compose herself and began recording the incident on her mobile phone, hoping this would deter further aggression.
Police say both at fault
However, the foreign woman reportedly approached her again and attempted to attack her. In self-defence, the Thai woman pulled the foreign woman’s hair.
The foreign woman’s husband eventually appeared but merely asked his wife to queue for boarding as if nothing had happened.
The Thai woman expressed her shock at the lack of intervention from security guards or airport staff during the altercation. She was forced to report the assault at the airport’s information counter on her own. She criticised the airport’s security measures, stating they should be stricter.
She later reported the incident to the police. However, officers concluded that both parties were equally at fault, as they had willingly engaged in the altercation. The Thai woman insisted she was the victim and claimed CCTV footage clearly showed that she had stopped and the foreign woman had not.
The footage both from the CCTV cameras at the airport and the Thai woman’s mobile phone were not revealed to the public.
Her story sparked criticism of Thai laws and the perceived bias of officials towards foreigners, particularly in tourist-heavy provinces like Phuket. Many netizens agreed that had the roles been reversed, with the Thai woman initiating the fight, she would likely have faced a harsher penalty.
It was reported that the foreign woman had left the country as scheduled. It remains unclear whether the Thai woman was able to catch her flight.
Latest Thailand News
