Monkey business at Phuket Provincial Hall

PHUKET CITY: A brazen monkey wandered onto the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall this morning, making off with a belly full of fresh cucumbers after a standoff with a stunned food vendor.

The unusual visit came at about 9:30 this morning at an open-air curry stall on the grounds of Phuket Provincial Hall.

The monkey, one of the many pig-tailed macaques living on the nearby Toh Sae Hill, appeared at the restaurant and clambered onto some cupboards to snatch some cucumbers that caught its eye.

Cucumbers are ubiquitous and cheap in Thailand, but they aren’t free.

When the vendor tried to grab the gourds, the pilfering primate fought back, baring its fangs and threatening to go into attack mode.

Holding the marauding monkey at bay with a stick, the vendor used her mobile to call friends in provincial hall, begging for help in driving off the monkey – but to no avail; nobody came to her aid.

Meanwhile, the monkey continued to gorge itself until it was finally full, then left the food hall, climbed over the wall and made its way happily back up the hill.

— Kamol Pirat