A brawl broke out as prizes were being awarded at a Thai
carmaker's office party and more than 30 people were injured
in the melee in which glasses, bottles and even homemade
grenades were thrown, police and media say.
AutoAlliance Thailand, a joint venture between Ford Motor
Company and Japan's Mazda Motor Corporation, threw the party
for its 4000 staff on Friday evening at a restaurant in
Chonburi, 100km southeast of Bangkok.
"They were eating and many people were drunk," said a police
officer who went to the restaurant to help restore order.
"Things got out of hand when some men threw bottles at each
other."
The Bangkok Post newspaper said the brawl started in front of
a stage as prizes were being handed out. It was not clear
what sparked it.
"The chaos quickly spread as glasses and other missiles were
thrown with periodic explosions and gunshots also heard,
according to some witnesses," the newspaper said. "A lot of
property was also damaged or destroyed."
More than 30 people were hurt and one was in critical
condition, the newspaper said.
AutoAlliance spokesmen were not available for comment.
"We have incidents like this every year," said the police
officer, who declined to be identified.
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