One of the taxi drivers, who remains in the ICU at Patong Hospital, was reportedly hit in the head with a brick.
Lt Nipon Temsang of the Karon Police confirmed to The Phuket News that four taxi drivers involved in the brawl were injured, while the tourists suffered only scrapes and bruises.
“We were told that Russian tourists were revving their motorbikes very loudly and the local taxi drivers asked them to stop making such a loud noise, and this may have started the fight.
“However, right now I cannot tell who caused the incident. We are still investigating and will seek justice for both parties,” he said.
Witnesses told The Phuket News that during the initial confrontation, one of the tourists threw a brick that hit a taxi, resulting in one the taxi drivers who was standing by to approach the foreigner.
Details given to The Phuket News were vague, but the taxi driver was reportedly hit in the head with a brick in the ensuing confrontation.
A segment of the brawl was caught on video by a bystander, who shared it through the phone app Line under then name “Anan (mario)”
The clip starts with a foreign man brandishing a piece of wood about one metre long while standing over a Thai man lying on the road.
Four Thai men flee the scene while a second foreign man tries to restrain the first, and takes the piece of wood from him and throws it away.
The wounded Thai man lying on the road is helped away from the scene, then a Thai woman picks up a brick up from the middle of the street and threatens to launch at it the shirtless foreigner, who was initially holding the piece of wood.
Eight Thai men then run onto the street to join the affray, with three of them carrying their own sticks. Taunts become blows, but the exchange finally peters out.
Witnesses told The Phuket News that the incident happened at about 2:40pm on Kata Rd, near the main three-way intersection in Kata Centre.
Taxi driver Sangown Saeing, 36, said he and his friends were waiting at the taxi queue at Kata Centre when a group of tourists on big bikes drove past at speed, inspiring one driver to yell at them to slow down because the road is narrow.
“One of them turned around and started using abusive language at us,” Mr Sangown said.
“I walked toward him want to explain but he pushed me to the ground. All my friends saw the incident and came to help. Four of us were injured. One is at the ICU at Patong Hospital while the other three are out of the hospital now.
“We have already filed a complaint with the police about the incident,” he said.