Viral video captures Phuket beach fight between Thai and foreigners

A viral video showed at least one Thai national and two foreigners fighting on Patong Beach in Phuket last night. The cause of the conflict leading to the altercation remains unknown.

The news Facebook page shared pictures and a video of the clash between a Thai national and two foreign men today, October 28. The nationality of the foreigners was not confirmed but the media speculated that they were from an Arab country.

In the video, the foreigners and a Thai national can be seen fighting on the beach. It was unclear what had happened at the incident scene. Each of them was seen using a broom and wooden sticks as weapons.

Two foreign men were seen running away from the Thai attacker towards a crowded road, where many vehicles were passing by. The video was then cut off. No details of the conflict that led to the fight were reported.

Some netizens condemned the Thai person for chasing away foreign tourists from the province, while others emphasised that quality foreign tourists were more valuable to tourism than tourists who caused trouble to the province.

One Thai man stated that he was not taking sides but said he often witnessed Thai workers in the tourism and hospitality industry treating tourists from Arab countries and India worse than those from other countries.

Some speculated that the Thai national involved was a transgender sex worker or a public transport driver attempting to overcharge foreign customers. Many commented that it was just another day in Phuket, as this kind of incident happens often in the province.

In a related report, Thai women and a group of Kuwaiti tourists were caught on a viral video fighting on Bangla Road in August. A Thai media outlet reported that a Kuwaiti woman in the group argued with one of the Thai women inside an entertainment venue, leading to a fight outside.

Another altercation between a Thai national and a foreigner occurred in Pattaya in June. A foreign man reportedly pushed the owner’s girlfriend in the chest for refusing to serve him because the bar was about to close. The bar owner and the foreign man then argued and later attacked each other.