PHUKET: A 45-year-old Swiss man who allegedly kicked a woman doctor for sitting on beachside steps to his luxury villa in Phuket has apologised for his actions, as has his Thai wife, who berated the woman and allegedly threatened to have her killed.
Urs “David” Fehr, and his wife Khanuengnit showed up at Phuket provincial hall yesterday after officials invited them and their lawyer to explain the alleged assault of the young woman, a doctor at a private hospital.
Attending the meeting were Phuket’s deputy governor, Adul Chuthong, provincial police chief Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, and other senior officials.
The couple said they accepted responsibility for what happened at their villa on Yamu beach in Thalang district on Feb 24. Ms Khanuengnit said they sometimes experienced trespassers. She cited one incident in which Chinese tourists allegedly entered the property. At the time, she was swimming, and her husband was not present. She later alerted the villa project owner about it, she said.
As for the incident on Feb 24, she said her husband thought it was the same group of Chinese tourists. Upon seeing them, he took his mobile phone and ran towards them to record a video before allegedly slipping on the steps, she claimed.
Mr Fehr later went to see a doctor who treated his injuries and confirmed they were caused by having fallen, she said.
Mr Fehr apologised, insisting he had not intended to harm the doctor. He claimed he mistook her and her friend for the Chinese tourists who had previously intruded on his villa.
The victim, Thandao Chandam, a doctor at Dibuk Hospital in Phuket, filed a complaint with police against the Swiss man for assault.
Dr Thandao, 26, said she and a friend had been walking along Yamu beach at about 7.30pm after dinner.
They later sat on the steps, which they assumed were public property, to view the full moon.
She said the sudden assault caught her and her friend off guard. The Swiss man apparently scolded them while filming. Dr Thandao said the man’s wife then appeared and told her that she could shoot them dead without ever being found guilty because her son was a powerful police officer.
On Thursday, authorities ordered the couple to demolish the steps because they were built in a public area.
Provincial livestock officials inspected the Green Elephant Sanctuary Park yesterday in Thalang district, which is owned by the couple.
The site has 14 elephants. The officials wanted to find out if each one has a microchip implanted showing its licence and bill of health. Meanwhile, Choeng Thaley municipality found the site has a licence to operate the elephant camp.
There are some 42 elephant camps with a total of 331 elephants in Phuket, including 16 such camps in Thalang district alone.