- An Indian traveller faced verbal abuse and racist remarks at a Thai restaurant.
- The dispute began over a breakfast bill and escalated after revealing his nationality.
- The traveller called Thailand Tourist Police, who resolved the issue calmly.
An Indian traveller has claimed he faced verbal abuse and racist remarks at a restaurant in Thailand following a dispute over a breakfast bill. The traveller reported that a "small confusion" occurred regarding his breakfast bill but quickly turned unpleasant. When the restaurant called a woman to assist with translation, she asked for the traveller's nationality. Upon learning he was from India, the woman allegedly began hurling abuses and making generalisations, including the claim that "Indians don't want to pay."
Rather than arguing, the traveller contacted the Thailand Tourist Police to resolve the matter. "We literally had to call the tourist police to sort this out. For all the people who say Thailand is good and all of that, this is the first time I am experiencing racism in Thailand," the traveller said.
Officers arrived at the scene and handled the situation calmly. According to him, the restaurant manager later apologised for what had happened. "It was never about the money. I chose not to argue and instead called the tourist police to handle the situation calmly. They understood the situation, and the manager later apologise", he added.
"Racism is never okay, not in debates, not in real life. We faced it in Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand, and had to stand up for ourselves by calling the police. Teach your parents. Teach your kids. You only understand the pain when it happens to you," the video was captioned on Instagram.
Watch the video here:
Sharing his experience, the traveller, who said he is from Kashmir, urged people to call out racism whenever they face it. He emphasised that judging an entire nationality based on stereotypes is unfair and unacceptable.
"I'm from Kashmir and have seen prejudice in India too, but that doesn't make it right anywhere. Generalising an entire group of people is never justified. People are assuming I must have done something to provoke this, that's surprising. I am a traveller; my goal is to connect with people, understand cultures, and experience how beautiful the world and its people are. I urge people, if you see racism happening anywhere, speak up," he said in another clip.
The video has since sparked a lot of discussion online. Many people have supported the traveller and criticised the alleged remarks as discriminatory. At the same time, some users said the full context of the incident isn't clear from the clip alone.
A few users also brought up the perception of Indian tourists in parts of Thailand, saying there have been past complaints about behaviour or bargaining. However, many were quick to add that such stereotypes can't justify racist treatment of any individual.
One user wrote, "As a Thai person, I feel sorry that you faced this situation in my country but don't let few people to ruin your journey. Please do enjoy the rest of your time with nicer people. By the way, India is one of my fav top 5 countries in the world."
Another commented, "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened to you. The image some Indian tourists have created in Thailand has unfortunately led many people to develop negative biases toward Indians. I don't fully know the exact situation, but racism is never okay."
"I think it's unfair to generalise and assume the indian is at fault… The world needs a little more empathy and kindness," a third user said.
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