A Thai ice cream vendor was arrested after physically assaulting a Ukrainian tourist on a road near Kata Beach in Phuket on July 29, with police saying the suspect later tested positive for drugs.
The Phuket assault was reported by the Newshawk Phuket Facebook page at about 11.20am. The incident took place on a roadside in Karon subdistrict, Mueang district.
Video shared on Thai social media showed the Thai attacker wearing a black long-sleeved shirt striking a foreign tourist dressed in a black tank top and shorts. The attacker repeatedly punched the tourist while he was on the ground before the victim managed to get away. The suspect then moved out of the camera’s view.
Although the suspect appeared to be holding a knife, it was not clear from the footage whether it was used during the assault, and no visible knife injuries could be seen.
Officers from Karon Police Station later arrived at the scene and found two Ukrainian nationals, identified as Dmitrii and Dmytroy. One of the men had sustained injuries and was taken to Vajira Phuket Hospital for treatment.
Police identified the attacker as 33 year old Parinya, a native of Chachoengsao province who had moved to Phuket to work as an ice cream vendor.
According to police, Parinya remained in an agitated state when officers arrived. He was taken into custody and underwent a urine drug test, which police said returned a positive result.
Police questioned Parinya and filed an assault charge. Details of the specific offence and potential penalties were not included in the police report.
The motive for the incident remains under investigation, and police have not released an update on the injured tourist’s condition.
The assault follows another violent incident in Phuket reported last week, in which a foreign man attacked a Thai woman after accusing her of stealing a bag belonging to his Thai girlfriend.
According to the earlier report, the woman denied the allegation, and she and a friend later reviewed CCTV footage, which they said showed she had not taken the bag. The woman is pursuing legal action against the accused. No update has been released regarding his arrest.
The story Thai ice cream vendor arrested for assaulting Ukrainian tourist in Phuket as seen on Thaiger News.
