A 1-minute, 37-second video of the incident was shared today (Feb 14) by the ‘Phuket Hod Jang’ Facebook page. The footage shows a heated fight between the tourists, allegedly intoxicated, as onlookers watched.
The brawl started in front of the nightlife cafe, then spilled out onto the street. One man attempted to smash a bottle over the head of one of his adversaries, while fights between other groups continued.
Several onlookers, including two women, tried to intervene to stop the fight, which still continued, with one man repeatedly kicked while he was still on the ground.
The page captioned the post with, “It’s famous again. Free visa, quality tourists ‒ drunk and fighting in Kamala, Phuket, causing trouble and damaging the island’s image again.”
The post also stated that police are actively working to identify and prosecute those involved.
The video quickly sparked heated reactions from netizens, with some expressing frustration over Phuket’s growing issues with rowdy tourists. Comments included: “Phuket is a beautiful place, but incidents like this ruin its reputation”; “Report them to their embassy and send them home!”; and “Enough with the free visa policy ‒ it’s bringing in too many troublemakers.”
Others, however, argued that tourist behaviour isn’t necessarily linked to visa policies, emphasising that such incidents can happen anywhere.
Authorities have not yet released further details, but local police confirmed they are reviewing the video and taking legal action against those responsible.
This incident follows a series of similar disturbances involving tourists in Phuket, raising concerns about the impact on the province’s image and tourism industry.