Phuket hotel security guard arrested for attempted break-in of DJ’s room
Police arrested the head of a hotel’s security guards in Phuket on Saturday, January 18, after he attempted to break into the room of a female DJ late at night earlier this week.
The victim, Thai DJ Mirinda Malinrattanawadee, took to her Facebook account to demand accountability from a hotel in Phuket after an unidentified man tried to enter her room at around 10pm on Friday, January 16. She shared videos and a detailed account of the incident, which quickly went viral on Thai social media.
Mirinda explained that she had travelled to Phuket to attend the Electric Daisy Carnival, but did not go to the event on the night of the incident because she felt unwell.
While resting in her hotel room, she heard a man shouting “Hey!” outside her door. Feeling uneasy, she did not respond. Sensing danger, Mirinda locked the door latch. Shortly afterwards, the man rang her doorbell.
While recording the situation on her phone, she asked, “Who?” but received no answer. Moments later, the man attempted to open the door. He was unable to enter only because the door latch was secured.
In one of the videos she shared online, Mirinda is seen speaking with a hotel staff member, who claimed he had checked the CCTV footage from the time of the incident but said the footage had disappeared.
Mirinda demanded a refund and asked the hotel to take responsibility, but the staff told her he could not provide an answer until senior management reviewed the case the following morning.
After the incident gained widespread attention, Mirinda later updated her followers that she had filed a complaint with Cherng Talay Police Station and checked out of the hotel. Police initially confirmed that the suspect was a hotel employee, but Mirinda could not release full details at that stage due to legal procedures.
Police later identified the suspect with the public as 39 year old Kanisorn, the head of the hotel’s security guards and a former army personnel. According to a report by KhaoSod, Kanisorn had finished his shift at around 4pm, but remained in a staff room at the hotel.
Investigators managed to recover CCTV footage showing Kanisorn’s movements. He was seen wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and flipflops while attempting to access several rooms but failed.
Then, he tried to enter Mirinda’s room with a keycard. Mirinda caught his action, leading him to flee the scene. Officers added that Kanisorn rushed to delete security camera footage before leaving the hotel.
The keycard used in the attempted break-in was reportedly issued for hotel maids. Kanisorn was responsible for storing these keycards after staff completed their shifts, raising serious concerns about internal security controls.
Following the arrest, Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Surin Beach issued an official statement apologising to the victim and guests and accepting responsibility for the incident. The hotel confirmed that Kanisorn’s employment was terminated immediately and pledged to strengthen its security measures.
Despite the apology, many Thai netizens continued to question the hotel’s safety protocols. Some former hotel workers commented that the keycard used may have been a master key, which can access all of the rooms, and questioned why such access appeared to be poorly controlled.
According to KhaoSod, Kanisorn was charged with attempting to break into a dwelling at night, an offence punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.
