Officer monkeying around: Phuket cop saves Russian’s bag

A police officer in Phuket has been commended for his resourcefulness in retrieving a Russian woman’s bag from a mischievous monkey at Khao Toh Sae in Phuket Town.

The incident, highlighted on the Phuket News Hawk page, involved Police Sergeant Supachai Arunchot and Pol. Sgt. Phuthip Chotiwatanakorn of the Phuket Provincial Police. Pol. Sgt. Supachai recounted how the monkey, a macaque, became agitated when the tourist and her friend either approached too closely or teased it.

The monkey swiftly grabbed the bag, which contained a phone, a room key card, and a battery charger, and climbed a tree.

Using local knowledge, Pol. Sgt. Supachai employed a creative tactic to recover the stolen items. Following advice from villagers, he threw a stone near the monkey without intending to harm it. Startled, the monkey dropped the stolen belongings, which were then safely returned to the relieved tourist.

This amusing yet cautionary episode has elicited various reactions on social media. Users shared their monkey encounters and found humour in the monkey’s antics. Comments ranged from jokes about the monkey’s arrest to light-hearted queries about potential penalties for such behaviour.

The officers took the opportunity to remind tourists to keep a safe distance from monkeys, despite their seemingly friendly nature.

“Please warn tourists who come to hike [at Khao Toh Sae], because sometimes they think monkeys are friendly, but monkeys like to snatch things. You must not hold or get too close to monkeys. Some of them can hurt you.”

The officers took this opportunity to remind tourists to keep a safe distance from monkeys, despite their seemingly friendly nature, reported the Phuket News.

In related news, a Thai couple’s king cobra encounter turned into a lotto-tunity. A couple in Suphan Buri were shocked to find a large king cobra under their house, prompting a frantic call to rescue services. They believe the snake might bring them luck and plan to use their house number for lottery tickets.