Viral video shows Japanese tourist in tussle with Chiang Mai policeman
Man let off by police after explaining to him why he could not release floating lantern
A Japanese tourist was seen in a viral TikTok video clip grabbing the collar of a policeman in downtown Chiang Mai on New Year’s Eve and threatening to assault him after the officer stopped the tourist from releasing a floating lantern illegally.
The 18-second clip was posted by a TikTok user, who goes by the name of Yannis, around midnight on Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, it was viewed over 4.5 million times and was shared over 9,300 times. It received over 235,000 “likes” and received over 8,500 comments.
The video was captioned “This guy will start 2025 in jail”.
The clip showed a policeman in uniform trying to tell the unidentified Asian tourist that he could not release the floating lantern at the spot.
The clip showed that when the police officer apparently noticed his warning went unheeded, he reached out with his right hand and slapped down the lantern.
The male tourist apparently became angry and turned to grab and pull the shirt collar of the police officer. He removed his sunglasses to stare into the eyes of the police officer and shouted at him.
An Asian woman in a black T-shirt, who was standing by, was seen trying to break him off and tell him to let go of the police officer.
On Wednesday, Pol Colonel Pratya Thisala, commander of Muang Chiang Mai Police Station, said the tourist was a Japanese man.
Pratya said the tourist was not arrested but his station sought help from the tourist police and a Japanese interpreter to explain to the tourist that floating lanterns were banned at the spot for fear they would cause fires.
Pratya said tourist police found out that the tourist had visited Chiang Mai for the first time so they did not want him to have a bad impression. Police decided to release him after reprimanding him for a violent gesture against police on duty.
Pratya said the policeman in the clip was deployed to monitor the crowded spots in Chiang Mai’s downtown and when he spotted the man trying to release the lantern, he stepped in to stop it.
The release of floating lanterns in the heart of Chiang Mai was banned for fear they would cause fires. But Pratya said some local people still sold lanterns to foreign tourists, who were not aware of the ban. He said these locals managed to flee into the crowds before police could arrest them.
