The assault occurred on Monday evening (Aug 24), after the lifeguard warned the tourists not to enter the sea because of the strong waves and the red flags marking the beach as closed for swimming.
Ignoring the warnings, the tourists became aggressive, shouting at the lifeguard before spitting at him and then physically attacking him. The lifeguard was injured despite his attempts to defend himself.
Footage of the assault circulated online, drawing condemnation from netizens and local authorities.
Rawai Mayor Thames Kraitat described the attackers as “low-quality tourists”, adding that such incidents happened too often and pledging to pursue the matter seriously, reports the Bangkok Post.
On Wednesday (Aug 27), police in Chalong confirmed they had questioned the group involved. They were tourists from Kuwait. One of them agreed to pay 200,000 baht in medical expenses and damages for the injured lifeguard.
The assailants were also scheduled to meet Rawai municipal officials to deliver a formal apology and accept responsibility for their actions.