MANILA – The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand announced that the four Filipino transgender nationals who figured in a brawl in Soi Sukhumvit 11 has already departed the country and is now back home in the Philippines.
In a statement released Saturday, the Embassy of the Philippines in Bangkok said that they were met by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials upon their arrival in the country, led by Undersecretary Eduardo Jose A. De Vega.
The statement also further said that the Embassy has provided comprehensive assistance and support to the affected nationals, such as the fines ordered by the Bangkok Civil Court were “paid and settled” by the Philippine Government through the Philippine Embassy.
In light of the incident, the Embassy stated that it has come to their attention that “some unscrupulous individuals” or entities are using the unfortunate event to conduct “fundraising activities”.
The Embassy believes such activities are done in the “guise of helping the above four Filipinos” in paying their fines.
Because of this information, the Embassy cautions against spreading misinformation or posting what it calls “unsubstantiated” information on social media.
The Embassy also then extended its appreciation and acknowledged the assistance and efforts of the Royal Thai Police, particularly the Metropolitan Police Division 5 and the Lumpini Police Station, in the speedy resolution of the incident.
The Philippine Embassy assures the public that this “isolated incident” will not alter or affect the strong and enduring bonds of friendship and cordial relations between the Philippines and Thailand.
(Photo courtesy of Embassy of the Philippines in Thailand)
DFA assures situation in Thailand has “cooled down”
For tourists planning to visit Thailand, the DFA gave assurances that the “situation has cooled down a bit” since the viral brawl between a Filipino and Thai transgender group in Bangkok last week.
In an interview, DFA Usec. De Vega said that it is safe to visit Thailand if you are “a normal tourist”.
“The situation has really cooled down. We’re considering it case closed in the sense that there are no more cases being filed, no more investigations,” De Vega said.
He reiterated though that it might be best to avoid travelling to Soi Sukhumvit 11 in the meantime, the place where the actual clash occurred on March 4.
“My advice to our Filipinos, (is) just follow the law, if you’re a tourist be a tourist, and simply don’t pick fights with locals,” he said.
“As for the tension, we just hope that in Bangkok, walang (there will no longer be) more skirmishes and dapat matuto na rin ang ating mga kababayan (and I hope our fellow nationals learn from this),” he added.
