British family on holiday in Thailand beaten unconscious

The holiday-goers, a man in his 40s and his sexagenarian parents, were attending Thai New Year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok popular with older Europeans, when a group of men started attacking them.

CCTV footage depicts the vicious and prolonged assault. It starts when a young British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle in a street. The latter then appears to push the Briton to the ground. An argument then ensues as the middle-aged British woman takes the Thai man to the side.

Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid.

Local media reported that police had arrested three men in their 20s and 30s who were charged last Thursday. A fourth one is reportedly still at large.

“The perpetrators said they were drunk. They have also apologised to the family,” said Police Colonel Chaiyakorn Siradecho.

The younger man is reported to have several stitches on his head, while the father had a head wound with swelling. The mother also had a head injury which left her with occasional headaches.

The three men were freed on bail awaiting trial for causing bodily harm.