Lars Pacheco, a Filipino trans beauty contestant, has tried to calm her emotions over a public street fight involving transgender individuals from her country and their native peers, calling on everyone to respect the hosts.
On Monday evening, two Filipino citizens were accused of assaulting six Thai transgender persons outside a cafe in Soi Sukhumvit 11.
They had an argument with the Thais that eventually turned into a fight, resulting in numerous injuries on both sides, and they were a group of more than 20 people who had arrived in the country on tourist visas.
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The trans community in Thailand then posted a rallying cry to their fellow citizens on social media, urging them to gather outside the hotel where the Filipinos were staying.
As officers escorted the offenders from their hotel, a second altercation broke out.
According to police commander Withawat Chinkham, “They were uncomfortable when they met, perhaps because they had different racial and religious beliefs.”
Withawat added that a Thai citizen had been detained and was being held on bail after being accused of assaulting a Filipino transgender individual.
Lars, who placed fifth in the Miss International Queen pageant last year, criticized the Filipinos as “doing something serious” and said she hoped bilateral relations between the two countries and Thai visits from the Philippines would not be impacted by the conflict.
“I adore the Philippines and our trans community, but we are guests in their country. The only thing we have to do is be respectful,” she said.
“Imagine there are 20 Filipinos and 5 Thai people. When it comes to fighting, that’s cruel.”
Lars added that she spoke with Thai PBS World’s Arissara Kankla, a friend of Lars’ and Thai PBS World, to get more information about the fight.
She urged Filipinos to behave respectfully when traveling abroad, stating, “Thais are the sweetest people I’ve always met.”
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According to Withawat, officers found no evidence that Filipinos engaged in sexual activity, as their Thai rivals claimed.
One of the Filipino suspects expressed regret for the incident and said, “I was misunderstood. It was a result of the language barrier.”
The two Filipinos were likely to be deported after paying a fine, according to Manila’s foreign ministry’s ambassador in Bangkok.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega urged all Filipinos traveling abroad to “not fight with the hosts because that’s their country.”
“The embassy is there to help you, because we know emotions can get very high.” However, he said, “It is important that we maintain the good image of Filipinos in other countries.”
