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The citizens of Phuket are tired of us being Swiss. Because in Thailand we are the problem foreigners! More than 100,000 foreigners settle on Thailand’s largest island. Twelve million tourists flood the area every year. The Swiss are also increasingly moving to the holiday paradise in the Far East. There are 1000 people living in Phuket alone. We are no longer popular at the moment. Because many ally bullies, hits and even kills. Three cases have ended up on the front pages of local newspapers in recent weeks – and a gigantic shitstorm has been raging over us online for weeks.
On local social networks, many police reports included a comment along the lines of “was it Swiss again?” Because in recent weeks there has been a build-up of Swiss attracting negative attention.
The panic of an Aargau resident on February 24, 2024 led to a real demonstration. The operator of an elephant sanctuary kicked a Thai woman in the back after insulting her. Their crime: After an evening walk on the beach, the doctor and her friend sat on the last step of the stairs leading from K’s property to the beach. The 45-year-old found something bold and kicked off.
More than 500 angry residents of Phuket then marched to the villa of Manfred K.*. On banners they demanded free beaches for citizens and the immediate expulsion of the rowdy Swiss. He was also in custody. According to media reports, immigration authorities have revoked Manfred K.’s residence permit. According to the reasoning, his behavior was a ‘threat to social peace’. The foreigners took up far too much space, one protester told the Bangkok Post.
Broken nose, bruises and bruises
Even the Thai Prime Minister commented on the case in Phuket. Srettha Thavisin, 62, told Thai media that he had instructed relevant authorities to ensure foreigners adhered to Thai laws.
Almost two weeks later, this Swiss man also made the news: on March 5, Beat L.* (60) bumped into a 58-year-old on crutches in a department store in the city of Trang. When the woman shouts at him in English to be more careful, he starts hitting the Thai woman. She defends herself and throws a bottle of water at him. Then Beat L. gets really brutal. He throws the woman to the ground, puts his knee on her neck and hits her. Diagnosis in hospital: broken nose, bruises on both eyes, bruises on the back.
The incident caused the following shitstorm on the internet. Thais are letting off steam on the Reddit platform. The Swiss would leave their human ‘waste’ in Thailand, a user complains. “To a fucking prison, then deportation and exile,” demands another. It’s time to revoke the Swiss visas, said another voice. And: the Swiss are now worse than the Russians and Indians.
More and more Swiss are moving to Thailand
The series of violence in Thailand starts with Wolfgang J.** (53). The Swiss strangled his Thai wife on January 8, 2024 and stuck a Jack of Hearts card down her throat. He takes her on his motorcycle to a corn field in Ban Khok Kruat, about six kilometers from his house. He then reports Orathai P.* (†46) as missing. The body was only recovered after his confession on January 29. From that moment on, hatred against the Swiss began.
“Some rich foreigners think they are above the law,” says Josef Schnyder (64), who lives in Thailand, “they behave arrogantly. This bothers the population. “We in Switzerland also expect foreigners to respect us.” But in general, the Swiss are decent people, emphasizes the delegate of the Swiss community abroad in Thailand in an interview with Blick. About 11,400 Swiss live in Thailand, more than half of whom are retired, Schnyder says. “The number of emigrants has doubled in the past ten years.” But acts of violence like those in recent weeks are rare in the Swiss community.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
