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Australian expat slapped by Buddhist monk in Thailand
| Published: | 16 Dec at 6 PM |
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An expat English teacher received a nasty slap from a Buddhist monk in Thailand after he generously offered two women a double seat on the train he was travelling on.
The incident occurred after the Australian, Jeff, offered two women the double seat he was sitting on from Bangkok to Phitsakulok when they got on the train. After the two women accepted the offer, Jeff moved over to sit on the single seat available next to the monk, but when he asked if it was “fine” to sit there, the monk took offence and slapped him across the face.
It later emerged that the monk, who obviously was not so adept at English, heard the word “kwai”, which means “buffalo” in Thai and is seen as a huge insult. The incident, which has since been viewed more than 400,000 times on YouTube after being recorded by a fellow traveller, shocked onlookers as Thailand’s shaven-headed monks, clad in their orange robes, are renowned for their calm, peaceful aura.
The uploaded footage only shows one punch, but Jeff later told the train security guard who stepped in to stop the chaos that he was hit three times. He explained that he gave the seats to the ladies before going to sit next to the monk, who took offence to what he thought he heard.
Jeff insisted that he said “sabai sabai”, which means fine, adding, “Thailand is Thailand; I love living in Thailand.”
The incident occurred after the Australian, Jeff, offered two women the double seat he was sitting on from Bangkok to Phitsakulok when they got on the train. After the two women accepted the offer, Jeff moved over to sit on the single seat available next to the monk, but when he asked if it was “fine” to sit there, the monk took offence and slapped him across the face.
It later emerged that the monk, who obviously was not so adept at English, heard the word “kwai”, which means “buffalo” in Thai and is seen as a huge insult. The incident, which has since been viewed more than 400,000 times on YouTube after being recorded by a fellow traveller, shocked onlookers as Thailand’s shaven-headed monks, clad in their orange robes, are renowned for their calm, peaceful aura.
The uploaded footage only shows one punch, but Jeff later told the train security guard who stepped in to stop the chaos that he was hit three times. He explained that he gave the seats to the ladies before going to sit next to the monk, who took offence to what he thought he heard.
Jeff insisted that he said “sabai sabai”, which means fine, adding, “Thailand is Thailand; I love living in Thailand.”
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