Phuket police feel public backlash over arrest of foreign tourists in “scooter-gate”

Some members of the public have reacted with anger after Phuket police arrested a number of foreign tourists who were riding electric scooters. According to police in the normally busy tourist area of Patong, the tourists were charged with using unregistered vehicles on the road. Officers confiscated the scooters, threatening legal action against those who rented them out.

However, photos of the bemused tourists being arrested quickly went viral, generating a backlash from netizens. Many wanted to know why the police hadn’t simply gone to arrest those running the scooter rental businesses, pointing out that the actions of the police could jeopardise the island’s already fragile tourism industry.

According to a Nation Thailand report, Patong Police Station has confirmed that the use of electric scooters is banned, due to the risk to other road users and to the scooter riders themselves. In addition, while the tourists were arrested for using unregistered vehicles, the police have confirmed it’s not possible to register electric scooters under the existing laws of the Phuket Provincial Land Transportation Office.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand