A British husband and his Thai wife were left furious after their extraordinary row with two Chinese tourists ended with his shirt torn and the police called.
John, 51, and his Thai wife Pookie, 25, have criticised Chinese police for allegedly… Treating them unfairly While investigating an alleged assault at a Phuket shopping mall, Thailand.
The couple reportedly ran into Chinese woman Zhang Yise and her mother Wu Kuiyun at the Central Phuket Floresta shopping mall on August 19, triggering a fierce dispute that later led to police reports and litigation.
Footage filmed by Zhang shows her following the couple out of the building as both sides hurled insults at each other.
John warned the Chinese women not to touch him or he would “knock her unconscious” while an enraged Zhang tried to stop him from leaving the mall. She replied: “Stay here! You’re going to kill me! You touched me! Stop here, you can’t leave, I’m going to kill you!”
John, 51, pictured with his Thai wife Pookie, 25, can be seen arguing with two Chinese women.
The argument broke out after John reportedly collided with one of the Chinese women at a shopping mall.
The fierce dispute broke out at Floresta shopping mall in Central Phuket on August 19.
John called security and spewed more insults at Zhang and her mother, calling them “stupid Chinese women, crazy Chinese women.”
John said he called Ekapop Luangprasert, an adviser to the Home Minister and founder of a social media complaints page, because he felt the police investigations were “not balanced.”
At a press conference on August 30, the British man wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a face mask to conceal his identity said: “I asked my wife to order us a GrabTaxi because we were about to go home and then this Chinese lady bumped into me. I turned around and said ‘be careful’, then the younger Chinese lady said ‘you hit my mum, you hit my mum, f*** you, f*** you, I’ll call the police! ’ So I said, okay, call the police. But I got a little worried, what are these police like? So we wanted to leave.”
John claimed he “dragged Zhang” with his arm as she allegedly lunged at Pookie, prompting Wu Kuiyun to attack and punch him.
She said Zhang fell when he dodged her as she ran toward him.
He continued: “Two very aggressive Chinese women attacked me, trying to surround me to take my wife away. I was just trying to defend myself and protect my wife. All I did was create distance. If I had wanted to hurt someone, that person would be in the hospital.”
He criticised the police, calling their investigation “unfair and unbalanced”.
One of the Chinese women is heard screaming: “Stay here! You’re going to kill me! You touched me! Stay here, you can’t go, I’m going to kill you!”
Meanwhile, John warned Chinese women not to touch him or he would “knock them unconscious” as a furious Zhang tried to stop him from leaving the mall.
John speaking to the media after the raging attack at a shopping mall in Thailand
He said: “What I couldn’t understand was that it was just two people who crashed into each other in a shopping mall. And suddenly the police, their only focus is me. Why don’t they focus on the Chinese too? Why do they focus only on the farang, farang, farang?”
“Farang” is a Thai term for foreigners of Western descent.
John said he and his wife cooperated with the police, but still felt they were being treated unfairly. They were allegedly being pressured to accept the deal and apologize, as the Chinese side was said to be influential and well-connected.
He said: “I don’t feel safe. We had to change rooms many times. These people are very connected. We don’t feel safe, so when this situation is over with the court, my wife and I will leave Thailand.”
In response to the press conference, Zhang presented video evidence that she said disproved John’s claims. She said she had tried to apologize to the couple after clashing with them, but John began swearing and cursing at her.
Police Lt. Gen. Surapong Thanomjit, Region 8 police commander, said police have gathered evidence and both sides will be heard at the trial.
He said: ‘No party should only present its advantages and criticise the other side, nor should it excessively criticise the actions of police officers beyond reality.’