5 Russian nationals held after viral altercation in Phuket night market
Five Russian nationals were arrested following a violent altercation at a night market in Phuket after footage of the incident circulated widely on Thai social media yesterday, May 10.
The Phuket Times Facebook page shared videos from the disturbance at Midtown Phuket Night Market with a caption alleging, “A drunk foreign man caused trouble in the city centre by assaulting both Thai and foreign people before being attacked by a group at the scene.”
In the footage, a foreign man wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and shorts was seen behaving aggressively, kicking shoes across the road and approaching several people nearby.
The foreigner later approached a Thai national standing outside a convenience store and physically attacked him despite the victim reportedly having no involvement in the earlier dispute. Witnesses and bystanders then intervened to stop the assault.
A Thai woman believed to be the foreigner’s girlfriend was also seen at the scene wearing a plaid shirt and shorts. She was heard shouting at people nearby while defending the foreign man during the confrontation.
Witnesses later told the Phuket Times page that the woman claimed to have influential family connections. She stated that her father was a police officer and that her uncle worked as a lawyer. She also threatened to use those connections to shut down the bar at the scene.
Police later identified the main suspect as a Russian national, although his name has not been publicly released. He was arrested on May 10 along with four other Russian nationals after the footage spread online.
According to police, the Russian national group had initially been involved in a physical altercation outside a bar before one of the Russian men began attacking unrelated members of the public who were not connected to the original dispute.
Police have not yet publicly disclosed the specific legal charges or penalties facing each of the five Russian nationals involved in the incident.
The Thai woman seen in the footage did not appear to face legal action as of the latest reports. Authorities stated that she did not physically participate in the altercation, although she was reportedly shouting during the incident.
In a similar case reported in Pattaya last week, a foreign man assaulted a Thai national who had warned him not to smoke cannabis in a public area. No arrest in that case has been publicly confirmed.
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