An Israeli tourist is currently under fire in Thailand for something she said after allegedly refusing to adhere to a shoes-off rule at a cafe in Koh Pha Ngan on Monday (May 5).
A video of this incident has gone viral, which showcases the tourist telling the Thai cafe staff that “my money built your country“, after she was told to remove her shoes and leave them at the entrance of the eatery.
TRT World, which shared the video on its X page, wrote, “An Israeli tourist in Thailand was filmed allegedly refusing to remove her shoes at a local restaurant, reportedly insulting the staff and saying ‘my money built your country‘, after being asked to follow the restaurant’s custom.”
In the video, the eatery’s staff could be heard telling the tourist to “Go back to your country, you are not welcome here“, before the tourist said her now-infamous line.
The tourist responds
According to a report by ASEAN NOW, the tourist has since attempted to defend herself, arguing that she was misinterpreted.
“I was trying to emphasise how much Israelis contribute to the Thai economy, not to belittle the culture,” she said, adding that she kept her shoes on due to foot pain and that she was apparently given permission by the restaurant staff to keep her shoes on.
She went on to explain that the video was filmed by another customer and accused them of distorting the narrative and leaving out the context of the situation. She also said that she was on the receiving end of verbal and physical aggression from others at the restaurant due to the incident.
You can check out the video here.
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Also read: Polish Couple Arrested in Thailand for Hugging, Walking Around in Public Completely Nude
