Phuket tourists smash wheel lock with rock, sparking outrage (video)
Foreign tourists in Phuket sparked a social media firestorm after blatantly disregarding Thai law by smashing a police wheel lock with a rock in broad daylight. The brazen act occurred outside a shopping mall on Rat Uthit 200 Pi Road in Patong today, January 14.
A 23-second video of the incident was shared by the Phuket Newshawk Facebook page, captioned: “A friend smashed the chain. #Don’t do it #Patong.” The clip shows a tourist using a rock to break the chain securing their motorcycle wheel, which police had locked for illegal parking.
The video quickly went viral, igniting heated discussions online. Furious netizens slammed the tourists for their disrespectful behaviour.
“Foreigners aren’t afraid of Thai laws because they can pay fines.”
“Thailand’s laws are too lenient. When will we see stricter enforcement?”
Others criticised what they perceived as leniency towards foreigners.
“When Thais break the law abroad, they face severe consequences. Here, tourists pay and walk free.”
Some called for harsher punishments, suggesting jail time for vandalising government property.
The incident raises broader concerns about law enforcement and the behaviour of certain tourists in Thailand. Many locals feel stricter regulations are necessary to protect the country’s image and ensure respect for its laws, reported Thairath.
As tourism continues to boom in Phuket, police and local government officials face growing pressure to address these recurring issues.
In a similar report, a viral video showed two foreigners ignoring a Thai police wheel clamp and legal consequences, as they pulled a police-seized motorcycle along a road in Phuket. The video, shared on Facebook last month by a Thai man named Somsak Lerchai, quickly gained attention. In his caption, Somsak sarcastically remarked, “Wheel lock doesn’t work with Grade A tourists.”
In April last year, a foreign motorcyclist in Phuket Old Town was caught on video using a tool to cut through a police chain that immobilised his illegally parked motorcycle, reported The Phuket Express. The footage went viral, sparking public outrage over the blatant disregard for Thai laws.