The incident began when police were called to the scene, in Soi Nai Yang 16, at about 4pm, said Sakhu Police Chief Pol Col Salan Santisasanakul.
Officers had received a call saying that a Russian woman “who was drunk or on other intoxicants” tried to enter a local resident’s house.
Officers arrived to find the woman in a state of distress, and took her back to Sakhu Police Station to calm her down, Col Salan said.
However, after arriving at the police station, the woman walked to a restaurant nearby and picked up a kitchen knife.
She then walked down the street, pointing the knife at police officers and other people who tried to approach her.
Officers solicited the help of a Russian tourist who could speak Thai to help negotiate and ask the woman what was troubling her, but were unsuccessful in their efforts.
The Russian woman then held the knife to her stomach and tried to press the knife down to harm herself, Col Salan said.
“A police officer had to use a rubber bullet to shoot her hand to make the knife slip out of her hand to prevent the tourist from being harmed by the knife,” he said.
At the same time another officer armed with a shield charged in, while others rushed in to subdue the woman.
A team of first responders from Sakhu Subdistrict Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) were called in to provide first aid and take the woman to Thalang Hospital.
Further investigation revealed that the woman was scheduled to fly out of Thailand, to Moscow, next Monday (Jan 27). She had booked in to stay at a hotel near Phuket International Airport from yesterday (Jan 21) until the day of her flight, Col Salan said.
From the investigation, the tourist had traveled to join the EDC Thailand 2025 event in Phuket, Col Salan concluded.
If you or anyone you know is in need of emotional support and counselling, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their hotline 02-1136789 (English & Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).