PHUKET — Police officers from Wichit Police Station investigated a brawl incident near Wichit Songkram Road, Wichit Sub-district, Mueang District, Phuket Province. A 26-second video clip was shared on the “Hod Jang Phuket” Facebook page with the caption “Phuket heats up, Taxi vs Tourists in front of a famous mall.”
The video, recorded in the evening, shows a confrontation between foreign tourists and a group of taxi drivers near the Darasamutr School intersection, a waiting area next to a well-known mall in Phuket.
A netizen described the incident: Three Arab women were leaning on a taxi, and when the driver asked them not to lean on the car, they became irritated. Subsequently, a male from their group approached the taxi driver, leading to the altercation seen in the clip.
Many netizens commented on this incident, with some criticizing the tourists and others criticizing the Thai people. There was also criticism of the free visa policy, suggesting it leads to a high volume of tourists but low quality.
On August 29, police brought in five foreign tourists and three taxi drivers for questioning at Wichit Police Station. It was revealed that before the incident, the tourist group was waiting for a taxi to return to their hotel in Patong. While waiting, they leaned on a parked taxi, prompting the owner to ask them to move away. This upset the tourists, leading to an argument that escalated into a physical fight with punches thrown and bottles hurled.
After reviewing CCTV footage, investigators found that both parties willingly engaged in the fight. Both sides were charged with “jointly causing a noisy quarrel in a public way or place, or acting in any way to disturb the peace in a public way or place, punishable by a fine not exceeding 5,000 baht.” Following this, neither party wished to pursue the matter further, and they went their separate ways.
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