A 31-year-old Thai woman was attacked by a man on a public bus in San Francisco and sustained an ear injury, in what in the victim claimed was a racially motivated assault, the Thai service of Voice of America reported on Saturday.
Rujira Amboon, who is studying in the California city, told VOA Thai that the man whom she described as a tall Latin American sat next to her on public bus No. 14 despite there being several empty seats, as she was returning to her accommodation in the evening of Dec 11.
When the vehicle parked at a bus stop, the man suddenly punched her in the left ear twice and fled. The bus driver immediately called the emergency services and reported the incident to police, Ms Rujira said.
The doctor found a tear to her ear and said the attack had caused inner ear damage, which could affect her hearing in the future, she said.
“I believe that the attack was associated with hate crime against Asians because I was the only Asian on the bus,” Ms Rujira said. “Why did this incident happen, and was it just because I am an Asian?
“I’m not OK with this but I cannot avoid it,” she said. “When I’m on a public bus, I try to be in the safest spot, like sitting as close to the driver as possible.”
Ms Rujira has contacted Eric Parnes, an American lawyer who worked on a case for another Thai female student who was attacked on a subway platform in New York City late last year, for legal advice.