S’porean’s Husband Killed by Fellow Tourist in Phuket Resort After a Fight Over Loud Singing

(Updated on 24 August 2019, 8:00 a.m., with a report from the Karon Police)

Holidays are for relaxing and unwinding, and where better to do just that than at a beach destination like Phuket, Thailand?

Unfortunately, a Singaporean woman’s holiday went horribly wrong in Karon, Phuket.

Her husband was killed on Wednesday, 21 August 2019, following an altercation with a hotel guest at the resort they were staying in.

The Singaporean woman’s husband was a British national, and the couple were on holiday with their young son. The culprit was a 54-year-old Norwegian national, Roger Bullman.

The couple had stayed in the room beside Bullman.

So, what happened?

Incident Began When Bullman Sang On The Balcony

Between 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., Bullman reportedly sang at his balcony.

The couple were disturbed by the noise and the husband decided to confront the singer and get him to stop.

Both men then got into an argument.

Escalation

Later, Bullman (just like his namesake) kicked down the balcony door separating both rooms and started to fight the husband.

Unfortunately for the husband, Bullman got him into a chokehold and killed him.

It Was An Accident

While being interrogated, Bullman claimed that he was trying to stop him from moving and was not trying to kill him.

He is currently being detained at the Phuket court.

According to Channel NewsAsia, depending on the judge, Bullman may or may not be released on bail and the charges against him include trespassing at night and causing grievous bodily harm resulting in death.

Settling Conflicts By Engaging Staff

If you should ever meet with such a situation, ask for help from the hotel staff.

After all, you’ll never know if the man you’re arguing with is another Bullman.

Plus, think about it, you’re in a foreign country. Would you want to spoil your holiday by spending your remaining vacation in the local police’s station?

Might as well call the reception and ask if anyone can stop the din happening next door.

After all, when we’re kids, it’s not cool to tell on others. When you’re an adult? That’s the only responsible thing you should do.

When settling differences or conflicts, it might be the best option to engage the help of staff and be wary of confrontation.

Karon Police’s Statement

There have been rumours that the husband had attempted to attack Bullman with a knife. Here’s the report filed by the Karon Police that might shed some light, with Amitpal Singh Bajaj being the husband:

“We received notice at 4:00 a.m. on Aug 21 that there were tourists fighting at the Centara Grand Resort. Karon Police went to the scene.

“There we found Mr Roger Bullman, 53 years old, with a cut wound from a sharp object on his left shoulder and he had bruises on the left side of his face.

“British national Amitpal Singh Bajaj, 34, was lying face down in front of his room.

“His nose and mouth were bleeding. His breathing was weak. He was taken to Patong Hospital directly.

“Then he passed away. Next police and doctors united to find the cause of death…Mr Bajaj confronted Mr Bullman for making too much noise because his wife and child wanted to sleep.

“They started arguing, and Mr Bullman broke the door on the balcony joining the two rooms and entered Mr Bajaj’s room. The two started fighting. Both were fighting inside the room, and (at least one) bottle was used in the fight.

“The fight continued outside the room. Mr Bullman was bigger and stronger, and had Mr Bajaj in a hold with his arm across his neck.

“Mr Bullman choked and hit Mr Bajaj until he was unconscious. A security guard arrived at the scene and saw Mr Bullman on top of Mr Bajaj while choking him with his arm.

“The security guard shouted at Mr Bullman to stop, which he did immediately.

“Mr Bajaj’s breathing was weak. The security guard called the police and rescue workers, who took Mr Bajaj to Patong Hospital immediately, but Patong Hospital doctors later informed police that Mr Bajaj had passed away from asphyxiation.

“Next, forensic police and police officers are to conduct their investigation.”