Italian pupils fined over skytrain row

Italian pupils fined over skytrain row Small Medium Large Thailand General Italian pupils fined over skytrain row Complainant accepts 'sincere apology' PUBLISHED : 27 Jul 2026 at 04:39 NEWSPAPER SECTION: News WRITER: Post Reporters Small Medium Large A video posted on the Facebook page of the Italian embassy in Bangkok showed four Italians apologising to the Thai people and asking for forgiveness. Screenshot Five Italian students were fined after settling a dispute with a Thai woman over their behaviour during a BTS Skytrain confrontation that drew widespread online criticism.The students and an accompanying teacher met the complainant at Samre Police Station in Bangkok on Saturday night after she filed a complaint over the confrontation.

Videos shared on social media showed the group of students speaking loudly on a BTS train before mocking the woman who asked them to lower their voices. One student was also accused of making an obscene middle-finger gesture, while another remarked, "Sorry for bringing money to your country". Police invited the five students, one accompanying teacher who appeared in the video and an interpreter to meet the complainant about 10.

30pm on Saturday. The discussions lasted for more than an hour. During the meeting, the students and the teacher expressed sincere regret and apologised, acknowledging that their behaviour had been inappropriate.

Both sides then agreed to settle the dispute without pursuing further legal action. They also agreed to delete photographs and video clips of the incident that had been recorded on mobile phones and shared on social media, police said. The teacher said the group deeply regretted the incident and insisted the students respected Thai culture and traditions.

The teacher described the episode as an important lesson and pledged that similar behaviour would not happen again. The complainant, identified only as Sugas, said she accepted the apology after recognising the group's sincerity and remorse. She had reported the matter to police to protect her rights and dignity, while also reminding foreign visitors to respect Thailand's culture, customs and the rights of others.

She asked for the incident to end with the settlement. Her father, Praphat, thanked members of the public for supporting the family and urged people not to harass or condemn the Italian students, noting that they had admitted their mistakes and still had several days of educational activities remaining in Thailand. Four of the students were fined 1,000 baht each for public insult, while the student seen making the middle-finger gesture was fined 2,000 baht.

After the fines were paid, police completed the legal procedures and formally closed the dispute. Earlier, the Italian Embassy ex-pressed deep regret over the students' conduct, saying it did not reflect Italian values of respect, courtesy and peaceful coexistence. "Members of the group released a video on Saturday apologising to the Thai public.

Subscribe to our newsletters for daily updates, breaking news and exclusive content. Subscribe Please put in a valid-email. By subscribing, you accept the terms and conditions in our privacy policy.

You must agree before subscribing. KEYWORDS Bangkok bts Italian students bangkok Samre police station Thailand tourism etiquette Public conduct dispute Bangkok post news Bts skytrain incident COMMENT RECOMMENDED Govt planning to shrink state sector Abhisit says face iLaw investigation publicly B2.1bn in land seized in nominee bust Frenchman shot by police dies Tour van hits two vehicles on dangerous hill road TRENDING