Chonburi —
A 70-year-old Belgian expat was allegedly brutalized in a road rage incident involving a Thai man in Chonburi province. The incident was partially fueled by a language barrier and misunderstanding between the two parties.
The 70-year-old expatriate, Danny, who has been living in Thailand for 20 years, and his 50-year-old Thai wife, Panisara, sought assistance from the non-profit organization ‘Sai Mai Tong Rod’ to pursue legal action against a Thai citizen who appeared to have attacked Mr. Danny on the road in Chonburi province.
According to a video that Panisara gave to Thai national media which was aired on several major stations, including Channel 3 news, Mr. Danny in an orange shirt appeared to be verbally arguing with an unidentified Thai man in a white shirt. The former was then heard saying “You are wrong!” in English.
Mr. Danny’s wife, who recorded the video, tried to stop the Thai man from approaching her husband. However, the man kept yelling at her, saying, “He’s insulting me! Do you see? Do you see he insulted me?”.
Subsequently, the Thai man allegedly initiated an attack on Mr. Danny, punching him and continuing to kick him even after he fell to the ground. Mrs. Panisara said the incident took place on October 16th, 2023, and it resulted in her husband being hospitalized with two broken ribs, a broken nose, and bruises all over his body.
Mrs. Panisara narrated the situation prior to the confrontation on the video and with an interview with Thai media, explaining that her young nephew was riding her bicycle on the street in the village when she abandoned it and ran home after being chased by a stray dog.
Unfortunately, the Thai man in the video drove his pickup truck into the left-behind bicycle by accident, prompting him to become angry and start to call for the bicycle owner.
According to Mrs. Panisara, she and Mr. Danny rushed out of their house upon hearing the man’s yelling. Seeing that his nephew’s bicycle had been damaged, Mr. Danny misunderstood, thinking his nephew had been struck by the pickup truck, and exclaimed “F*ck!” This exclamation, according to Mrs. Panisara, was misinterpreted by the Thai man who thought it was directed at him, which sparked a subsequent argument and altercation.
Following the incident, Mrs. Panisara and Mr. Danny went to report the assault to the Chonburi police. The police called both parties in for a negotiation; however, the other party still insisted that Mr. Danny had to pay for the damages to his car.
As for the medical expenses of Mr. Danny, which amounted to over 40,000 baht, along with the claimed damages of 300,000 baht, the Thai man rejected the demands and dared him to take the matter to the court himself, his wife said to local media.
At present, the Belgain man and his family feel very frightened and are concerned that they will not receive justice. As a result, they decided to seek help from the Sai Mai Tong Rod organization.
Mr. Danny gave an interview to local media, saying if an incident like this had occurred in Belgium, his home country, the perpetrator would have been immediately arrested.
He also expressed his regret, mentioning that he has been living in Thailand legally and working legally for over 20 years, paying taxes in accordance with the law, and never expected to encounter a situation like this.
As of press time it is believed the foundation is seeking to speak with the unidentified Thai man and reach a resolution appropriate for both parties, which may still involve the Thai court system but with the assistance of the foundation.
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