British couple and their son beaten unconscious in Thailand by local gang
Mark Piggott
Three members of a British family are left unconscious after a brutal unprovoked attack in Hua Hin, Thailand
Thailand police
Police in the Thai resort of HuaHin
have released a graphic video of a brutal attack on an elderly British
couple and their adult son. The video shows how the family are seen
being badgered by locals at a street market before they are then punched
and kicked repeatedly by the gang.
At one point the elderly lady is kicked in the face as she is lying
on the ground and all three were left unconscious. The attack took place
as locals and holidaymakers celebrated during Songkran festivities (Thai New Year) in HuaHin, 200 km (140 miles) south of Bangkok, on 13 April. The family have not yet been identified in the media.
Police believe they were targeted simply for being westerners and eye-witnesses said the gang had boasted of wanting to attack "
Farangs
" which is the Thai word for foreigner. Two people have been arrested and two are still being hunted according to local media.
The attacks took place as Thailand was celebrating the Songkran festival
Jorge Silva/Reuters
On a HuaHin forum
one eye-witness said the family were attacked at around 2am after
leaving a bar. "Within 20/30 meters of leaving the bar the Thais were
punching the 65-year-old old lady in the face," wrote the poster, "Usual
Suspect."
"The elderly gentleman was down on the floor, and their son was
beaten very badly. At this point I caught up to the scene and pushed one
of the youths away from the woman. I got severely punched and kicked
for my troubles, but felt the need to protect this frail lady. The three
of them are still hospitalised, and I will need cosmetic dental work
done." Another witness posted
: "It happened last night at 2am when a group of Thai men who were overheard saying they were there to attack "Farangs",
attacked a elderly couple leaving a bar. A Good Samaritan who stopped
the beating of one of the victims, a 65-year-old woman, was also beaten.
It is believed the men were gang members.
"This happened about one block from the Hun Hin police station. Please use caution tonight in the bar areas of HuaHin
as the stated purpose of the people responsible for the attacks is to
attack foreigners. They are still at large," the post read.
In the past two
years, six westerners have died on the island of Koh Tao including
Britons Hannah Witheridge and David Miller, who were killed in September
2014. Two Burmese men convicted of their murders are expected to demand
a retrial after what was widely seen as a flawed legal process.
British couple and their son beaten unconscious in Thailand by local gang
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