Israeli tourist's arrogant rant in Thailand
An Israeli tourist sparked outrage over an arrogant rant at a cafe in Thailand.
The female holiday-maker erupted into a tirade after refusing to take off her shoes at the eatery on the Full Moon Party island of Koh Phangan on May 5.
Footage shows the tourist smirking as she bragged to staff: 'My money builds your country'.
Her outburst was met with fierce backlash as Thai locals slammed her seemingly disrespectful behaviour.
Some even called for the police to intervene and deport her.
'Please remove this woman and blacklist her. This is offensive to all us hardworking people and our ancestors,' one local said.
Another added: 'We welcome tourists with hospitality, and their taxes contribute to the economy, but this attitude or superiority is most definitely not welcome.'
In a post on social media, the woman later apologised, claiming she had simply lashed out in response to the alleged harassment she faced from the Thai workers.
She said: 'Hello, I am the woman in the video. First, I want to clarify that my words were taken out of context. My intention was to say that Israeli tourism contributes to the Thai economy.'
'I was subjected to physical and verbal aggression stemming from general anger toward Israeli tourists in Thailand. The person who recorded the video was not a staff member but another customer.
'I had permission to wear my shoes because I had foot pain. The filmer and her friend used violence to force me out of the cafe, even though I had already chosen to leave to avoid further confrontation.'
The tourist said the video was 'misleading' and did not show the 'violence I experienced'.
The incident came amid fears of the influence of Israeli tourists on a town in northern Thailand.
Residents in Mae Hong Son reported a surge of unruly Israeli visitors allegedly living and working illegally in the region in February.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra even tried to allay their concerns and said their worries were unsubstantiated. She denied claims that Israelis have taken over the Pai district of the province.
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, along with Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Orna Sagiv, also visited the town.
They were responding to reports of Israeli visitors misbehaving. But the Deputy PM said there were 'no concerns regarding infiltration, threats to national security, or the establishment of foreign settlements'.
Thailand has been marred by over-tourism from all nationalities as the Thai government pushes visa-free schemes to boost revenue following the barren pandemic years.
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