6-3-2024 (BANGKOK) A 60-year-old Swiss man, Straumann Dieter Matthias, was arrested on Tuesday (March 5) for allegedly assaulting and severely injuring a 58-year-old Thai woman, Natthanan Kikkham, inside a shopping mall in the southern province of Trang.
Matthias was taken into custody at the Muang Trang police station for questioning. However, police reported that despite their efforts to interrogate him through an interpreter for nine hours, Matthias remained silent. Consequently, he was charged that night with assaulting and causing injury to another person.
The Swiss national refused to sign an acknowledgment of the charge, prompting police to seek an order from the Trang Court on Wednesday morning to temporarily detain him while they conduct further investigations before presenting him to the court.
According to police, Natthanan Kikkham sustained severe injuries, including a broken nose, a bruised eye, and a bruised back, and was rushed to the intensive care unit of Trang Hospital. Authorities stated that they are awaiting an official medical report from the hospital before transferring Matthias to the courthouse.
Immigration records indicate that Matthias entered Thailand on a long-stay visa, intending to reside in the kingdom after his retirement.
Kittipong Khikkham, Natthanan’s son, provided details of the incident. He stated that his mother, who was using a four-legged walker while shopping on the second floor of the mall at around 4 pm on Tuesday, was accidentally hit by Matthias. When Natthanan addressed Matthias in English, asking him to be more polite, the Swiss man allegedly became agitated and punched her four times before walking away.
Kittipong claimed that his mother threw a water bottle at Matthias, prompting him to return and put her in a headlock, repeatedly punching her and slamming her face against the floor. Although the incident was not captured on security cameras, Kittipong said several eyewitnesses are willing to testify on his mother’s behalf.
Police revealed that Matthias had been living alone in a rented house in Ban Khok Pala village in Tambon Khok Lor, Trang’s Muang district, after his Thai girlfriend left him following a series of quarrels.
