UPDATE: Patong police pursue case over alleged assault of hotel intern

Patong Police Station is pursuing legal action after a 20-year-old university student alleged that she was assaulted by supervisors while completing an internship at a hotel in Patong, Phuket.

The case came to light after posts about the incident circulated on Facebook, prompting police to open an inquiry, according to the Phuket Express. Police said they interviewed the trainee, identified only as Bee, and recorded her statement.

Bee said she began the placement on 1 July with two classmates and that a chef was her workplace supervisor. She told reporters that, at about noon on 18 July, the chef became upset over a delay in serving rice while she was carrying out another task in the hotel kitchen.

According to Bee, the chef struck her arm with a spatula and slapped her twice, leaving her feeling dizzy. She said the incident was recorded on CCTV, witnessed by several hotel workers and shared with news outlets.

An earlier report described the chef as slapping the student and throwing a ladle at her. The later account described a spatula being used to strike her arm. The difference has not been independently clarified.

Bee also alleged that this was not the first incident during her internship. She said the chef had previously criticised her over undercooked rice and forced her to eat it, despite colleagues trying to intervene.

The student said her university ended its internship programme with the hotel after the alleged assault, and that she and the two other students left the placement. Channel 8 reported that police had charged the chef in connection with the alleged physical assault and were considering whether further charges were appropriate over the undercooked-rice allegation.

In the latest development, Patong police told the Phuket Express that investigators had identified two Thai women, aged 41 and 36, as suspects in the alleged assault. They were brought to Patong Police Station for questioning and legal proceedings, the report said. The women have not been publicly identified.

The hotel had not issued a public statement on the allegations at the time of the earlier reports. The claims have not been independently verified.