A SWISS MAN and his Thai wife today (March 1) apologised for assaulting and verbally abusing a Thai female doctor who they found sitting and watching the full moon on a staircase leading from theIr villa to Cape Yamu beach in Phuket on the night of Feb. 29, Naewna newspaper said.
This morning the Phuket Times webpage broadcast a press conference attended by Phuket Deputy Governor Amnuay Pinsuwan and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Sinlert Sukhum with this couple apologising for the incident.
The Swiss man, only identified as Mr. David and owner of an elephant camp on the island, clasped his hands together in a wai and apologised to all Thai people for what happened.
He mentioned that although he is a Swiss citizen, at present he considers Thailand his home and did not think the incident would escalate to this extent.
He added that he got emotional because people are always encroaching on their private property with this happening every week. Most recently a group of seven to eight Chinese tourists entered their lawn next to the swimming pool within the villa.
That he did not apologise to the doctor right from the start is because he got angry as his private property had been encroached upon many times, he said, adding that he did not that night disparage local Thai people.
His Thai wife explained that she misunderstood that the group accompanying the doctor was the same group of Chinese tourists that had previously encroached on their luxury villa.
She denied threatening to shoot the doctor but did say she knew a senior police officer and she is well acquainted with him.
She added that they had admitted their guilt and were willing to take full responsibility and apologise to the doctor for what happened which stemmed from both of them being angry and scared.
Officials from Phuket Provincial Livestock Office inspected the elephant camp owned by this Swiss businessman and found 14 elephants there, some belonging to the camp itself, others rented, Amarin TV said.
They are going to scan the microchips in the jumbos to determine if everything is in order as stated in the application.
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Top and Front Page: Pixelated image of the Swiss businessman and his Thai wife. Photo: Naewna
Insert: One of the elephants at the elephant camp owned by the Swiss businessman. Photo: Amarin TV
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