According to Patong Police, the alleged assault took place at about noon on Saturday (July 18) in the kitchen of a hotel on Rat U-Thit 200 Pi Rd.
Police identified the complainant as Sidaporn Chuaysangk. The alleged assailant, a female Thai employee of the hotel, has not yet been formally identified as police continue their investigation.
According to the victim, a student from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, she began an internship at the hotel on July 1. She told police the incident was not the first time she had been verbally and physically abused by the same chef, but she had previously endured the treatment in order to complete her internship.
She said she had been instructed to cook rice, but it came out unevenly cooked while she was completing another task. When she did not remove the rice quickly enough, the chef allegedly shouted at her, slapped her on the head, struck her arm with a spatula and then slapped her a second time.
The intern also alleged that the chef forced her to sit and eat the undercooked rice in front of other staff, causing her physical discomfort and humiliation.
Security camera footage of the incident reportedly shows the chef approaching the intern, slapping her on the head, striking her arm with a spatula and slapping her again.
Following the incident, coworkers took the intern to Patong Hospital for treatment. She said the hotel’s human resources department had been notified and that she intended to submit a medical certificate and other evidence to Patong Police today (July 20) while pursuing legal action.
Patong Police confirmed that officers had inspected the scene and that investigators will interview the victim, obtain the medical report from Patong Hospital and summon the alleged assailant to acknowledge the charges.