British family attacked in Hua Hin, for being tourists

[scottish-guy]

Get off your high horse (or pony de jour) LatintopXXX - nobody has said there was any excuse

[bucknaway]

When the Japanese were visiting the USA and throwing around cash, I heard a lot of people putting them down. Many Americans could not afford to shop where they were shopping and do the things they were doing.

Here in Thailand, there are places that cater to tourist where a beer may cost 450 baht and a meal for 2 may cost around 1000 baht. Is this pissing of the youth who see their options for good income as few unless they sell themselves to a foreigner for sex.. Yeah... its only human nature that foreigners will be seen as the problem when they are looking to place the blame.

[Surfcrest]

The couple and their adult son were leaving a bar in the Hua Hin province in the early hours of April 13 after celebrating Thai New Year

​I think one of the important points missed from the original article is that this all happened in Hua Hin on April 13th and it's only found it's way to the media weeks later? Hmmmm!

Surfcrest

[scottish-guy]

I think the title of the thread is highly misleading (but I accept that is how the story is being characterised by the media and the thread title reflects the media spin).

I've seen no evidence whatsoever that this family was attacked "for being tourists" - nobody approached them and attacked them.

What happened was that the family were leaving the bar, there was a collision with a person or persons in the soi - and the ensuing remonstrations over the collision escalated into extreme violence.

There's no excuse for the actions of the Thais involved but had the family simply walked away rather than keeping the pot boiling, it may have ended differently. This is THEIR country not ours and if you insist on poking a bear then at some point will bite you.

Ive always found the best policy is to just aplogise profusely (even if you're in the right) and WALK AWAY!

[Surfcrest]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nati...-30284993.html

Well, now that the story is out...we're not the only one finding out all about it. Whatever the circumstances, someone is not happy about it and who knows what that means to the six they've apprehended after it's all over. Add this incident to all the other reports of violence surfacing, it's rather embarrassing...and unfortunate for these guys, as they're some of the few actually caught.

Surfcrest

[Gaybutton]

unfortunate for these guys, as they're some of the few actually caught

Will it come as any major surprise if a year from now, perhaps even less, all six of them are right back on the streets again?

I like their empty "I'm sorry." Certainly they are. Sorry, that is, they were caught. Why do I have a feeling none of them are the least bit sorry about what they did?

[Oliver]

Let's face it; anything that accused people say after an hour in police custody is what the police want them to say. Ask the Burmese....

[bucknaway]

Will it come as any major surprise if a year from now, perhaps even less, all six of them are right back on the streets again?

I like their empty "I'm sorry." Certainly they are. Sorry, that is, they were caught. Why do I have a feeling none of them are the least bit sorry about what they did?

Anyone who knocks a grandmother to the ground and when she sits up, kicks her in the face knocking her head to the cement and rendering her unconscious... Has to have some type of guilt feelings don't you think? I mean.. Who does that? Who would kick a grandmother in the face to have her head impact the cement beneath her? Only a person that would later apologize to the media and police... That's who.

https://youtu.be/DuujV5A_LXw

[fountainhall]

Is this pissing of the youth who see their options for good income as few unless they sell themselves to a foreigner for sex.. Yeah... its only human nature that foreigners will be seen as the problem when they are looking to place the blame.

I don't for a moment believe those Thais were pissed off because the three farang were tourists and probably earned far more than they did. They were pissed off because . . . they were pissed! It's clear from the vdo that the one who hit the son to the ground is arguing with someone else before the three Brits come into view. The couple's son accidentally - and seemingly quite gently - bumps into one of them. The drunken Thai takes offence, hits him to the ground and then everything escalates quickly and appallingly.

We all know that many Thais drink way too much and that one reason is the idiotic system of levelling a vastly lower tax on spirits than, say, wine (well, I like wine!). In this case, today's English press has articles about the Thais being drunk on beer. That may or not be the case (although the first Thai in the attack is clearly holding a beer bottle). A second problem surely is a lack of education in Thai society whereby attacking someone thought to have attacked you is the natural reaction. Over Songkran a staggering 110,909 people were arrested for being drunk. 16,000+ drivers had licenses confiscated due to drink driving. Drink and drunkenness is a nasty part of the culture.

The suggestion that the parents should just have walked away after their son was felled to the ground is an obvious course of action - but I can't imagine many people taking it. I'll bet the couple were furious and in no way realised that reacting as they did they might end up knocked out in a disgraceful manner. I doubt if many people who come to Thailand for a pleasant holiday are even aware that there is a latent element of violence in many Thais once they have consumed too much alcohol. And it's not something the government or the Tourist Authority is keen to advertise. Now they are hoist with their own petard as the worldwide PR through You Tube will have alerted vast numbers that this is not always the Land of Smiles.

[Gaybutton]

Has to have some type of guilt feelings don't you think?

No, I don't. I think these thugs enjoyed it and proudly talked about it among themselves right up until the moment they were caught. I believe if they were not caught they would still be bragging about it among themselves. I don't think the accidental bump by the son was anything more than the catalyst. I think these guys were drunk and looking for trouble. They found what they were looking for, but wouldn't have found it at all if it had been people capable of beating hell out of them.

No matter what caused it or what the motivation was, there is nothing that can make an attack like this right. It was sheer vicious bullying against people they knew couldn't fight back, at least not effectively. If it was a young strong man, with two or three other strong young men with him, if it had been him who bumped into this thug, I don't believe an attack would ever have happened. In my opinion, it is nothing but cowardice to attack people who can't fight back. I hope each of them are on the receiving end of bully attacks while they're in jail. Let's see what kind of fight they put up there.

Several against one and several against people helpless to fight back is unfortunately a common occurrence in Thailand. I read news items about people being attacked and sucker attacked nearly every day.