Seven youths arrested over assault on Japanese tourist in Bangkok

Seven Thai youths have been arrested in connection with the physical assault of a Japanese tourist in a deserted area near the Makkasan Airport Rail Link station in Bangkok, police reported on Thursday evening.

At 7.20pm, Din Daeng police investigators transferred the seven suspects to Makkasan Police Station for questioning and to face charges of physical assault. The group had been apprehended at a room within the Din Daeng flats complex earlier in the day.

The victim was identified as ‘Yuki’, a 43-year-old Japanese national who sustained injuries to his ear, knee and neck. According to his statement to police, Yuki accidentally wandered into an overgrown area behind Makkasan station at around 8:30pm on Tuesday.

As he attempted to find his way back out, a group of teenagers riding two motorcycles approached him and demanded money. When Yuki refused, they physically assaulted him. He managed to break free and seek help from a Good Samaritan, before filing a formal complaint at Makkasan Police Station.

Investigators tracked the group down by reviewing CCTV footage from along the getaway route. The cameras captured the suspects riding towards Pracha Songkhro intersection, before heading into the Din Daeng flats, enabling officers to locate and detain them.