CityNews – Two Australian tourists who got drunk at a karaoke bar and attacked a Thai tuk-tuk driver and a Tai Yai man are now suing for damages after being injured by a knife during the brawl.
According to a police statement, the father and son, 60-year-old Peter Paul Joseph Hernburger and 18-year-old Jackson Peter Hernburger, hired a tuk-tuk to take them to a karaoke bar in Chang Klan.
They drank 13 bottles of beer and had five waitresses entertain them throughout the night, but when the bill arrived at 5am, they were outraged by the cost.
They felt they were being over charged as the bill came to around 13,000 baht.
After trying to bargain with the karaoke bar to reduce the cost, the son left the bar and approached the tuk-tuk driver, accusing him of taking them to an overpriced bar.
He then strangled the tuk-tuk driver who could not fight back as he was recovering from recent surgery to his abdomen for cancer.
The karaoke bar staff attempted to pull the drunk 18-year-old off, but Jackson Peter was still angry with the cost of the bar.
He turned to another man who was waiting to pick up his girlfriend outside the bar, and attacked him.
Nithikorn Laolee, the Tai Yai man who was attacked by Jackson Peter fought back and called a group of his Thai friends, including a man named Samart Thantrakul, to assist him.
During the fight, Jackson Peter was stabbed with a knife, but the injuries were superficial.
The two Australian men then fled the scene and hid in Wat Fai Hin, a temple located around two kilometres away from the scene.
However, the monks at the temple reported the two men to police who then escorted them to hospital.
All parties involved in the fights were summoned yesterday, June 18, to discuss what happened.
The son, Jackson Peter, was fined 100 baht for strangling the tuk-tuk driver.
However, Jackson Peter is now suing the two men identified in fighting back against the drunk tourist, and the verdict is pending.
The karaoke bar was fined for not closing on time.
According to Police Colonel Weerayut Prasobchokchai, the incident that occurred would have not happened it the karaoke bar closed at the correct time. He also warns that tourists are easy targets for inflated prices late at night.