Trang, Thailand-
On Tuesday, March 5th, the Trang City Police apprehended a man identified only as Mr. Straumann, a 60-year-old Swiss national, following an alleged attack on Mrs. Natchanan Khickkham, a 58-year-old Thai woman, at a supermarket in Trang City.
According to Mr. Kritapong, Mrs. Natchanan’s son, his mother faces mobility challenges due to a personal health issue with her legs. At 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, she visited the supermarket and nearly fell after the Swiss expat bumped into her. She politely requested him to be more considerate.
However, the Swiss expat allegedly responded aggressively, allegedly striking her face approximately four times. In retaliation, she threw a water bottle at him. Undeterred, he continued to assault her, reportedly hitting her face about 20 times and knocking her head against the floor.
Despite several alleged eyewitnesses, the CCTV footage failed to capture the incident. Mrs. Natchanan sustained injuries, including a broken nose, facial swelling, and bleeding.
Mr. Straumann, upon his arrest, refused to cooperate with the police and reportedly refused to admit to the incident or give any statements. His personal documents revealed that he holds a retirement visa, which is set to expire in November this year. It has also been reported that he previously resided in Trang with a Thai woman, who is currently in Krabi.
On Wednesday, March 6th, Mr. Straumann was transferred from the Muang Trang Police Station to the Trang Provincial Court.
The case has drawn extensive anger on social media with many Thais asking for justice. Mr. Straumann, however, has reportedly continued to refuse to speak about the incident and as of press time has not filed a plea. It is unknown if he has a lawyer as of press time.
