A video of foreign tourists loudly making a commotion and causing a dispute inside a Bangkok BTS Skytrain carriage has recently gone viral on Thai social networks.
According to Thai media reports, the video shows a group of young foreign tourists speaking loudly inside the carriage. A Thai female passenger approached them to remind them to keep their voices down. Not only did they refuse, but the group also gave her the middle finger and responded arrogantly: “Sorry for bringing money to your country.” The tourists then got off at the next stop and left.
This remark sparked widespread criticism online. Netizens pointed out that being a tourist and spending money is no excuse to ignore local public order or disturb others; respecting local customs is a basic principle of civilized travel.
Some foreigners who have lived in Thailand for a long time also commented on the matter, saying that the mindset of “spending money means you can do whatever you like” can easily cause misunderstandings.
As the incident escalated, the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) issued a statement calling on passengers to remain quiet and avoid loud conversations in order to maintain a pleasant travel environment together.
In addition, BTS stated that if passengers wish to listen to music or watch videos on their phones, they should use headphones to avoid disturbing those around them, and thus create a quiet and comfortable public transport environment.
This incident has once again prompted public discussion about tourist behavior, cross-cultural interaction, and etiquette in public spaces. Many netizens believe that regardless of one’s country of origin, respecting local rules and social customs when in a new environment is an important sign of civilized travel.