Bail to be opposed for Kiwi brothers
Two New Zealand men have been arrested after injuring a traffic officer and trying to grab his pistol in Phuket, police in Thailand say.
On Saturday, a Thai police officer ordered Hamish Day, 36, and Oscar Day, 38, to stop as they were riding motorbikes too fast in a residential zone and didn’t stay in the left lane, the Bangkok Post reported.
The pair reportedly sped up, before eventually stopping and shouting at the officer. They allegedly attacked the police officer, forcing him to the ground and trying to snatch his pistol, which went off without injuring anyone.
Photos published by local media show the two men holding the officer on the ground, with one holding what looked like his gun.
Thai police arrested the men who they said are New Zealanders. The pair were charged with robbery, obstruction of police duty, physical attack against a policeman, driving without a license and bribery.
Both men were detained at the station and were due to appear in the Phuket Provincial Court yesterday.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said they were aware of reports of two New Zealanders arrested in Thailand.
The two men’s parents Laurence and Katrina Day, of Hamilton, have issued a statement. “The Day family is understandably distraught over the situation with their sons in Thailand,” they said. “We know very little more than has been reported in the press. We request privacy and your prayers while we try to deal with the situation.”
Thailand’s deputy police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn has posted on Facebook that the Day brothers are to be banned from Thailand following the completion of the court case against them, the Bangkok Post reported yesterday. He had instructed the immigration police chief in Phuket that the two would not be allowed to come back to Thailand.
The Bangkok Post also reported that police would ask for permission from the Phuket Provincial Court to further detain the New Zealanders as officers investigated the case.