BANGKOK: A Japanese man, whose act of grabbing a policeman by the collar in Chiang Mai on New Year’s night had gone viral, apologised for his behaviour and was fined 3,000 baht (US$88).
The incident occurred when the policeman stopped the tourist from releasing a floating lantern in a prohibited area.
Police from Chiang Mai's Mueang district, Tourism Police, and Immigration Police worked together to identify the tourist who had tried to be defiant at Tha Pae Square and clashed with the uniformed officer.
The area is a no-fly zone for floating lanterns due to the risk of fires affecting the densely populated residential area nearby.
The tourist was identified as Hirano T, 31 years old, a Japanese national. Police located him and summoned him to Chiang Mai City Police Station for questioning.
During the interrogation, Hirano explained that he had come to Chiang Mai with his family to attend the Countdown 2025 event at Tha Pae Square.
After the countdown event, at around 12.30am, he attempted to launch a floating lantern on the side of Tha Pae Square, mistakenly thinking that only the square was a restricted area.
When officer Taweesak arrived and stopped him, the tourist became angry and acted aggressively, as reported in the news.
After an interpreter explained the restrictions, Hirano apologised to the police and then left the scene that night.
Later, the police contacted Hirano, who expressed regret over the incident and wished to meet Taweesak to personally apologise for his behaviour. He met Pol Colonel Pratya Thisala, the commander of Muang Chiang Mai Police Station, and requested a meeting with Taweesak.
Taweesak agreed to meet with Hirano and accepted his apology.
After looking into the case, the police said that Hirano’s actions violated the orders of an official performing their duties. The police then explained the charge to Hirano, who acknowledged and confessed to the accusation. The investigator imposed a fine of 3,000 baht.
Hirano accepted responsibility according to the law and said that he would definitely visit Thailand again in the future, as he enjoys the country’s tourist attractions. He also promised not to repeat such behaviour.
Hirano was seen in a viral TikTok video clip grabbing the collar of a policeman in downtown Chiang Mai and threatening to assault him after the officer stopped the tourist from releasing a floating lantern illegally.
The clip showed a policeman in uniform trying to tell the Asian tourist that he could not release the floating lantern at the spot.
When the police officer noticed his warning going unheeded, he reached out with his right hand and slapped down the lantern.
The male tourist apparently became angry and turned to grab and pull the shirt collar of the police officer. He removed his sunglasses to stare into the eyes of the police officer and shouted at him.
An Asian woman in a black T-shirt, who was standing by, was seen trying to pacify him and telling him to let go of the police officer.
The release of floating lanterns in the heart of Chiang Mai has been banned for fear they could cause fires.
Pratya said some local people still sold lanterns to foreign tourists, who were not aware of the ban. He said these locals managed to flee into the crowds before police could arrest them. - The Nation/ANN
