Security footage catches
Gianni Belfiore in an argument about a temporary parking space in Naklua.
Theerarak Suthathiwong
An argumentative Belgian got bashed in the head by two
masked motorcyclists after getting into an argument with a Thai shopkeeper
over a parking space.
Gianni Belfiore, 39, invited himself into a world of hurt
Nov. 21 by allegedly starting a shouting match with Kasem Sornkhamthong at
the Kaekaew shop on Soi Wong Amat in Naklua, then - after being assaulted -
reportedly refusing to pay for medical treatment at Bangkok Hospital
Pattaya.
He has since been arrested for having an expired passport
and is under investigation by the Belgian embassy.
The brouhaha began when the Belgian parked his Toyota
Vigo outside the Kaekaew shop, reflecting the bright sunlight into the
store’s front window. Blinded by the glare, owner Kasem asked him to move
the truck to point the reflection elsewhere.
Instead, Belfiore allegedly went nuts, screaming that he
was a police officer and Belgian embassy official. He is neither. Afraid,
Kasem went back inside to call police. He came back outside to find the
Belgian bleeding. Security camera footage showed that two men, insulted that
a foreigner would have the audacity to argue with a Thai, drove by and
struck him in the head with a metal or wood pole before speeding away.
Belfiore compounded his own misfortune afterward, as
police discovered the expired passport and hospital officials called
authorities to claim the Belgian began raving and refused to pay.
