A Thai man has been arrested in Japan, following a stabbing incident in the city of Yokohama, in which one person died. A 53 year old restaurant worker, named as Rungroj Kwankitsarot, and confirmed to be a Thai national, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Two other victims were injured in the stabbing incident, according to the report. Rungroj is accused of stabbing the dead man in the right side of his chest while on the street near his workplace. The Thai man denies the allegations, insisting he was in the restaurant kitchen at the time.
It’s understood the dead man was with 4 companions at the time of the attack, two of whom were injured and are being treated in hospital.
According to eye-witness reports, the stabbing may have been the culmination of a dispute between a group of Japanese men and two Thai men. The verbal dispute, thought to have started when someone knocked over bicycles parked in front of a Thai restaurant, escalated, before becoming physical.
The police were notified by a passerby and arrived on the scene to find 3 men with knife wounds, one of whom died on reaching the hospital. The other two men are reportedly in a serious condition. Their names and nationalities have not been released by police.
One Thai man, who claims to be one of the victims, has posted his version of events on social media:
“I confronted them about why they knocked over my bicycle, and their initial response was, ‘I dislike Thai people; all of you should return to Thailand, and all the restaurants in this area should be shut down. I am the owner of this country.’ Without uttering a word, their leader instructed them to encircle and assault me. There were five of them, while I was alone. How could I have possibly defended myself?”
The man goes on to say that a worker from the restaurant came to his aid, adding that his rescuer may face legal consequences for having done so.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
