By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-07-25 07:30:17 | Updated at 2026-07-25 09:31:12
2 hours ago
BANGKOK - The Italian Embassy in Bangkok has issued an official statement condemning a group of Italian teenagers and offering a sincere apology to the Thai public following a viral altercation on a BTS Skytrain in Thailand.
In a trilingual statement released on its official Facebook page at approximately 11.30am on July 25, the embassy expressed “deep regret” and strongly denounced the disruptive actions of the underage tourists, who were visiting Thailand as part of a school educational trip.
“The Embassy of Italy in Bangkok expresses its deep regret over the incident and strongly condemns the inappropriate behaviour of a group of Italian underage tourists participating in a school educational trip, as shown in a video circulated on social media,” the official statement read.
“The Embassy extends its sincere apologies to the people of Thailand and to everyone affected by this incident. Italians deeply understand and appreciate the values that Thai society places on respect for others, courtesy, and harmonious coexistence – values that are equally cherished and upheld by the Italian Republic.”
The embassy stressed that the teenagers’ actions did not reflect the Italian populace, nor did they represent the “mutual respect, friendship, and courtesy” forming the bedrock of diplomatic and cultural ties between Italy and Thailand.
The public outcry began after a Thai woman posted a video on July 23 depicting her attempt to ask the noisy group of youths to quieten down on a BTS train.
Instead of complying, the teenagers responded with rude and aggressive behaviour. The clip quickly went viral across Thai social media, igniting widespread anger over public etiquette and prompting online users to inundate the Italian Embassy’s Facebook page with demands for an investigation.
The educational trip operator also issued a statement apologising for the incident, and acknowledged that the brief clip depicted behaviour completely contrary to the core values the organisation has promoted for years.
Accompanying the embassy’s written statement on July 25 was a 95-second video featuring four student representatives offering a direct apology to the Thai public.
In the video, the representatives admitted they had initially intended to address the situation on July 24, but hesitated out of anxiety and fear. Recognising that delaying their response was a mistake, they pleaded for forgiveness from the Thai people.
“I’m personally extremely sorry for what has happened,” one student representative said. “I perfectly know that money can’t buy respect, and I’m really sorry for all the people offended and for having offended Thai culture.”
Another representative added in Thai and English: “I’m very sorry to all Thai people because of what we did on the BTS train. That was wrong, and I apologise for my actions and the actions of our group.”
A third representative speaker clarified that they did not condone the behaviour, confirming that the teenagers involved would be sent back to Italy as quickly as possible. The representative pledged that the students would undergo further guidance to ensure strict respect for local cultures in the future, ending with a plea for the Thai community’s forgiveness. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
