BANGKOK, July 25 — The Italian tourists at the centre of the viral Bangkok BTS Skytrain row have issued a public apology after days of backlash.

According to The Nation, representatives of the group made the apology in a video released by the Italian Embassy, asking Thai people for forgiveness over their behaviour.

“I know that money cannot buy respect,” one of the group’s leaders said, apologising for offending Thai people and Thai culture.

The group said they had initially been too frightened to respond publicly but had since realised remaining silent was the wrong decision. 

They also thanked Thailand for welcoming them and said they hoped their apology would be accepted.

The apology follows a confrontation aboard Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain that spiralled into an international social media storm after footage of the incident spread online.

The dispute erupted after a Thai commuter asked the group to lower their voices while travelling on the train. 

Instead, the argument escalated, with members of the group allegedly filming the woman, laughing and shouting insults before one was heard saying: “Sorry for bringing money to your country.”

The remark quickly became the focus of public outrage, with many Thai social media users condemning it as arrogant and disrespectful.

The backlash soon spread beyond the tourists themselves. The Italian Embassy in Thailand temporarily disabled comments on its Facebook page after thousands of angry users flooded its posts, while criticism also spilled onto the social media accounts of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Separately, the Italian study-tour operator that organised the trip also apologised, saying the teenagers’ conduct did not reflect the company’s values.

“We sincerely apologise that this brief incident portrayed an image that does not reflect the values we have held and promoted for many years,” the company said in a statement quoted by The Nation.

While noting that the group consisted of teenagers, many of whom are minors, the operator said “momentary excitement” in a foreign country could sometimes lead to “overly exuberant behaviour in public spaces”.

However, it stressed that youth was no excuse for the group’s conduct.

“This does not excuse or justify any inappropriate gestures or conduct, which do not represent our tour company’s values, nor do they represent the majority of our trip participants,” the statement said.