A group of foreign tourists who assaulted a lifeguard at Nai Harn Beach in Phuket have agreed to pay the man 200,000 baht in compensation after a video showing the attack was widely shared on social media.
The assault happened on Monday evening, after the lifeguard warned the tourists not to enter the sea because of the strong waves and the red flags marking the beach as closed for swimming.
Ignoring the warnings, the tourists became aggressive, shouting at the lifeguard before spitting at him and then attacking him. The lifeguard was injured despite his attempts to defend himself.
Footage of the assault circulated online, drawing condemnation from netizens and local authorities.
The local mayor described the attackers as “low-quality tourists”, adding that such incidents happened too often.
On Wednesday, police in Chalong confirmed they had questioned the group involved. They were tourists from Kuwait. One of them agreed to pay 200,000 baht in medical expenses and damages for the injured lifeguard.
