PHUKET – Sophon Suwannarat, the governor of Phuket, had to work outside his office on the morning of January 17, 2024, after someone broke into his office and smashed the front door window. The intruder was later identified as a Russian tourist.
Phuket City Police Station received a report of the incident at 7:27 a.m. on Jan. 17. According to the report, the incident occurred at the Phuket Governor’s office on the fourth floor of the new provincial hall in Talad Nuea sub-district, Muang district, Phuket.
When police and investigators arrived at the scene, they found that the right glass door to the governor’s office had been smashed, leaving broken glass scattered on the floor. There was also a trail of blood leading away from the door. Under the secretary’s desk, they found a fire axe with traces of blood.
The police have taken photos of the crime scene and collected evidence. The motive for the attack is still being investigated.
According to the investigation, prior to the incident at around 2:45 a.m., a member of the Volunteer Defense Corps on duty at Provincial Hall heard a phone ringing outside the elevator on the second floor. He went to check and turned off the sound. Then he saw a shirtless foreign man, dressed only in black shorts, hiding on the second floor near the elevator. He rushed over to grab him, but the man shook his arm and fled to the upper part of the provincial hall.
The officer then called 191 to report the incident and look for the foreigner, but they did not find him. Around 4:30 a.m., members of the Volunteer Defense Corps and police officers heard the sound of breaking glass in Province Hall, but could not figure out where it was coming from. Around 6:30 a.m., the housekeeper of the Provincial Hall came upstairs and realized that the glass in the Phuket Governor’s office was broken, so she reported the incident to the police.
Later, Phuket City Police Station received a report from local residents that a foreign man was trying to steal a resident’s motorcycle parked in front of a convenience store near the provincial hall. Police investigated and found a shirtless foreign man wearing only shorts. His feet had been cut by glass and were bleeding. The officers then arrested him and took him to Vachira Phuket Hospital.
During the preliminary investigation, the man was found to be a Russian national, 24 years old. He was incoherent and was suspected to be suffering from a mental illness. The doctor at Vachira Phuket Hospital gave him medication and initially kept him at rest for treatment.
