A young German woman was hurt in an attack by a robber but was saved from more serious injury by local students at the World Heritage Site at Ayutthaya Historical Park on Wednesday evening.
The attack was reported to local tourist police who said Friede Hartwig, 20, was attacked in the Bueng Phra Ram public park inside Ayutthaya Historical Park at about 4.30pm.
She suffered a broken nose and sustained a four-centimetre-long wound in her left arm. She was treated at Pranakorn Sri Ayutthaya Hospital and had one stitch inserted in her nose.
Ms Hartwig told police that while she was walking in the park, a fat Thai man in his 20s approached on a motorcycle and ordered her to ride it. As she resisted, the man extorted money from her and tried to snatch her bag.
When she did not let go of her bag, the man attacked her repeatedly.
Natthawut Srijan, a 19-year-old student of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Technical College, and a friend were passing on another motorcycle and came to her rescue. The attacker fled without her belongings.