Bangkok representative says he was protecting a woman who was being harassed
PUBLISHED : 12 Aug 2023 at 14:51
A Move Forward Party (MFP) MP has accepted blame following a physical altercation at a Bangkok restaurant on Friday night, but says he was defending a woman who was being harassed.
Video widely viewed on social media showed Chorayuth “Tonkla” Chaturapornprasit engaging in a confrontation with another man at the eatery in the Ekamai area.
The MP for Bang Kholaem-Yannawa MP is seen stepping in to intervene as the man began to harass a woman. The harasser had invaded her personal space and even placed his hand around her neck.
Mr Chorayuth can be seen brushing the man’s arm away from the woman, speaking to him and then being struck by him before the situation escalated.
Move Forward spokesman Karoonpon Tieansuwan said on Saturday that the other man had previously harassed Mr Chorayuth’s friends and had slapped another person in the face before turning his attention to the MP.
Mr Karoonpon said the man slipped and fell on his own during the subsequent altercation, and was already targeting Mr Chorayuth’s group before their bodyguards and restaurant staff intervened.
Both parties involved have agreed not to pursue further action.
Mr Chorayuth said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he would accept any blame and apologised to the public. Nonetheless, the MP insisted that he was merely protecting the woman seen in the video and did not initiate the fight.
While regretting his use of violence and calling the incident an important life lesson, the MP said some news outlets had covered the story without contacting him, presenting a misleading version of the incident.
He thanked those outlets that had taken his statement and asked those that had not yet done so to contact him for clarification.
Move Forward MP Chorayuth “Tonkla” Chaturapornprasit said the Friday incident was an important life lesson for him. (Photo: Facebook)