A medical intern in Thailand fought off a drunk nurse who tried to grope her one night, busting out fighting skills that helped her kick her would-be assaulter to the curb.
“I have been doing Muay Thai boxing since I was a kid,” Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22, told reporters. “I know how to kick, knee and punch someone. I know how to wrestle with them. It was my instinctive reaction to protect myself.”
“I’m lucky my grandfather taught me self-defense skills when I was a young girl,” she added. “Those lessons saved my life.”
CCTV footage from around midnight shows the 30-year-old male nurse approaching Petcharaporn from behind as she picked up some food before leaving for the night. He first circles behind her as though just wandering around the area aimlessly before turning and reaching for her.
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Petcharaporn Phadungjai, a 22-year-old medical intern in Thailand, fought off a would-be sexual abuser with Muay Thai. (ViralPress)
As soon as the nurse’s arms wrap around the intern, she grabs him and drives him back towards the far wall. He keeps a strong grip on her, but as soon as she faces him, she drives her knee into his groin, giving herself a chance to pull free.
Once separated, she kicks him again, striking him in the stomach before setting into a defensive stance and yelling at him to back off.
A petite Thai medical intern used Muay Thai kicks to fight off a drunk male nurse assaulting her in a hospital. Speaking out publicly for the first time since the incident, Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22 (pictured) said she was working a nightshift when the colleague crept up behind her and groped her in Samut Prakan, Thailand. But he was unaware that her hobby is Muay Thai boxing, and she kneed him in the crotch then kicked him in the stomach to subdue the alleged attacker.
The hospital reported the incident to the police and fired the nurse as allegations that he had similarly harassed other female interns emerged, ViralPress reported.
Petcharaporn said she had ordered dinner but could not pick it up herself, so the nurse, who was drinking at a neighboring food stall, offered to bring it to her. She had to go to the general ward, because men are not allowed in the women’s ward.
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Muay Thai fighters warm up ahead of a Rajadamnern World Series Muay Thai tournament at Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on March 9, 2024. (Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“When he arrived, he told me to scan the QR code to pay for the food,” Petcharaporn said. “I placed the phone on the desk, and that’s when he grabbed me from behind.”
She alleged that the nurse had flirted with her during her internship, often calling her “darling” or indicating he liked her, but she had treated it as teasing. She also revealed that she feared that he would try to rape her if she didn’t fight him off.
Thailand suffers a significant sexual violence problem, with at least seven women sexually assaulted or abused per day, according to a report from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC).
