Russian tourist's knife attack shatters Phuket paradise
Terrifying scenes unfolded in a hotel in Phuket. A tourist from Russia pulled out a knife and began attacking other vacationers and, later, also Thai police officers. The man was subdued, but it was not easy. His paradise vacation ended at the police station.
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the number of Russian tourists visiting Thailand increased significantly. In August of last year, Bloomberg reported that the number of Russians visiting Thailand had increased by about 1,000 percent, while at the end of last year, Rzeczpospolita reported that over a million tourists from Russia visited the island of Phuket.
Some bought a one-way ticket. This caused many problems, not only for the locals.
A dangerous incident occurred on Friday, December 27, at a hotel in the Chang Thale district of Phuket. A Russian tourist grabbed a knife and began injuring other hotel guests. He then attacked the police officers who arrived at the scene to control the situation.
Russian man went berserk: "State of delirium"
The aggressor did not intend to give up. He waved the knife and attacked anyone who got in his way. According to media reports, one of the Russian victims sustained minor injuries.
In the end, force was used to subdue the aggressive man. According to the "Phuket Times," at one point, the "perpetrator fell into a state of delirium." A photo published by local media shows the Russian man with blood stains on his body and injuries, including on his face and arms.
The man was taken to Thalang Hospital and then to the police station in Chong Thale for further proceedings. In Thailand, disturbing the public peace can result in a fine of up to 5,000 baht (approximately CAD 184), while causing injuries to others can result in a fine of up to 40,000 baht (approximately CAD 1,470) or two years in prison.
