12-8-2023 (BANGKOK) A member of the Move Forward Party (MFP) has taken ownership of his actions in the aftermath of a physical altercation that occurred at a restaurant in Bangkok on Friday night. However, he asserts that his actions were in defense of a woman who was being subjected to harassment.
The incident, captured in a widely circulated video on social media, portrays Chorayuth “Tonkla” Chaturapornprasit engaging in a confrontation with another individual at an eatery situated in the Ekamai locality.
Chorayuth, who serves as the MP for Bang Kholaem-Yannawa, promptly intervened as the aggressor began harassing a woman. The harasser had encroached upon her personal space and even went so far as to place his hand around her neck.
In the video, Chorayuth is observed swatting the man’s arm away from the woman, engaging in dialogue with him, and subsequently being struck by him before the situation escalated further.
A spokesperson for the Move Forward Party, Karoonpon Tieansuwan, shared on Saturday that the other individual had previously harassed friends of Mr. Chorayuth and had even slapped another individual in the face prior to targeting the MP. According to Karoonpon, the man fell on his own during the ensuing altercation and had already set his sights on Chorayuth’s group before the intervention of bodyguards and restaurant personnel.
Both parties involved have mutually agreed not to pursue any legal actions.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Chorayuth conveyed his acceptance of any blame and extended an apology to the general public. Nevertheless, he firmly maintains that his actions were driven by his desire to safeguard the woman depicted in the video and that he did not instigate the altercation.
Expressing remorse for resorting to violence and characterizing the incident as a valuable life lesson, the 33-year-old MP acknowledged that some news outlets had covered the incident without engaging him for his perspective, thereby presenting a skewed portrayal of the events.
He expressed gratitude towards those media outlets that approached him for his statement and urged those who had yet to do so to make contact in order to attain a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
