Foreign woman criticised for urinating on Bangla Road, Phuket

A viral video circulating on Thai social media captured a foreign woman, evidently intoxicated, urinating on the footpath of Bangla Road in Phuket on March 26. This incident prompted criticism from netizens directed at both the foreign woman and the Thai government.

A Thai man shared a video of the foreign woman on Facebook yesterday, March 27. The 56-second video shows the unidentified woman pulling down her panties and urinating near a sign pole.

MGR Online reported that it was the Bangla Road sign pole in the Patong sub-district of Katu district in Phuket. The road is a well-known landmark in the province popular for its vibrant nightlife.

A foreign man, believed to be her boyfriend, was also present and appeared to be drunk himself and unable to help his companion.

Both Thais and foreigners passing by stared at the couple but they appear to be too drunk to care.

The Thai man responsible for the video stated that the foreign couple were Japanese. Additionally, his tone conveyed a sense of irony.

“Thailand! This is Thailand! Only good foreigners come to Patong, you see. This is Patong! So bad! Quality tourists! Government! Send us more of these tourists! Very good! Bangla don’t have bathroom. Authorities, please build one near Patong Beach!”

Quality tourists

Thai netizens expressed mixed reactions in the comment section. Many of them criticised the couple for their behaviour and cited potential fines for the act. Some found the video funny and did not cause any serious offence, while others complained to the authorities about the lack of public toilets.

“Disgusting!”

“There was not much public bathroom, and they are all closed at night. People don’t use bathroom at night?”

“It’s good enough that she managed to take her pants off.”

“The land of freedom.”

“She must face a fine for this.”

Many netizens debated the type of tourists Thailand should attract. They urged the government to focus more on quality tourists as crimes committed by foreigners continue to make headlines.

“A lot of money comes from foreign tourists. Thai people need to be patient, right?”

“Authorities should take action against this kind of foreign tourist. If only bad tourists come to Thailand, how can we attract good tourists to the country?”

A Thai netizen criticised the man who filmed the video, citing damage to Phuket’s reputation. The netizen urged the videographer to decide between witnessing the disruption caused by foreign tourists or returning to the pandemic era, potentially risking their job.

Thus far, officers from the Patong Police Station and other relevant departments have not stepped forward to address the issue or pursue legal action against the foreign woman.