Bangkok: The drama between Italian students on the BTS (Bangkok Skytrain) has concluded.
According to Thai News Agency, last night at approximately 10:30 PM, at Samrae Police Station, Nong Sugus, the victim of the altercation with a group of Italian students on the BTS Skytrain that went viral, filed a police report against five Italian youths and one of their handlers. Investigators subsequently summoned all six accused individuals and a translator to meet with the victim for negotiations. The discussions lasted over an hour. During the negotiations, the Italian students and their handler expressed remorse, sincerely apologized to the victim, and admitted that their behavior was inappropriate. Both sides then agreed to settle the dispute, dropping the charges and agreeing to delete the video of the incident from their phones. The handler of the students stated their sadness over the incident, expressing regret to the parents, the children themselves, and all Thai people. They affirmed that the students respected Thai culture and traditions and would learn from this incident.
Sugus, the victim, stated that she recognized the sincerity and remorse of the other party, and therefore believed that those who admitted guilt and apologized should be given a second chance. She reiterated that the purpose of filing the police report was to protect her rights and dignity, as well as to highlight to visitors to Thailand the importance of respecting the rights, culture, and etiquette of Thai society. She requested that the matter end here and noted that she had spoken with the caretakers of the children, emphasizing the need for them to set a good example. Sugus's father also stated that he had spoken with the other party, explaining Thai culture and etiquette to them, and thanked the Thai people for their support to the family. He requested that society refrain from harassing or criticizing the Italian student group, as they have all shown remorse and are scheduled to continue their study tour in Thailand for several more days.
The investigating officers charged all those accused with "insulting in public" and fined each of them 1,000 baht. The person who showed the middle finger in the video was additionally charged with "committing an act that is indecent in public" and was fined 2,000 baht. The dispute was then formally settled.