On 25/7, the Italian Embassy in Bangkok issued a statement condemning the behavior of a group of young Italian tourists who insulted a Thai woman on a BTS skytrain.

The group comprised 6 students and one Italian teacher, visiting Thailand as part of a school-organized study program. During their stay in Bangkok in july, the group used the BTS skytrain for transport and had an argument with Sugus, 25 years old, a Thai passenger.

Sugus asked the students to lower their voices as they were in a public place. Instead of cooperating, some members of the group responded with verbal and offensive gestures, including showing the middle finger and saying, "Sorry we brought money to your country."

Fellow passengers videoed the argument, which circulated on social media on 24/7. The video garnered millions of views, sparking outrage among many Thais. Numerous comments highlighted that the students' remarks demonstrated contempt for the host country and a lack of respect for public etiquette.

The scene of the Italian group apologizing to Thai people in a clip from a video posted by the Italian Embassy. *Screenshot*

In its statement, the Italian Embassy in Bangkok expressed regret over the incident and extended apologies to the Thai people and those affected. The embassy emphasized that Italians also uphold values such as respect, courtesy, and harmonious coexistence, norms highly regarded by Thai society.

The embassy also posted a video showing four students bowing in the traditional Thai wai gesture and apologizing to the public. One student stated, "money cannot buy respect," and apologized for damaging their country's image and insulting the Thai people.

After Sugus reported the incident to the police, 5 of the 6 students each received a 1,000 baht (approximately 800,000 Vietnamese dong) fine for insulting others. The student who made the offensive gesture was fined 2,000 baht (1.6 million Vietnamese dong) and faced an additional charge for inappropriate public behavior.

On 25/7, both parties met at Samrae police station for reconciliation. During the meeting, which lasted over an hour, the Italian tourists each clasped their hands in a wai, the traditional Thai greeting, and apologized to Sugus.

Under the agreement, both sides committed to removing all related photos and videos from their phones and social media accounts, and to not pursue further legal action.

By Mai Phuong (CNN, The Independent)