Suwan Chaichana, 49, owner of Fancy Karaoke on Anupas Phuket Rd, notified police of the incident in the early hours of yesterday morning (June 26).
Police arrived to find fireman had put out a fire the bar, where they found a broken bottle inside that is believed to be the remains of a Molotov cocktail that started the fire.
Witnesses told police that a man known to them only as “Dam”, age about 35, came into the karaoke at 9:30pm on Saturday night (June 25).
“He ordered two bottles of beer. Then spend his money on singing karaoke until 1am. The bill came to B300, but Dam didn’t have money to pay,” Ms Suwan said.
The staff confiscated Dam’s mobile phone as collateral until his friend arrived with B200 and a promise to pay the remaining B100 later.
“After, the bar closed, witnesses saw a man throw something into the shop that burst into flames and set one of the sofas on fire,” Ms Suwan said.
Ms Suwan believes the culprit was Dam or one of his companions.
Police told The Phuket News that they are continuing their investigation.