The incident, which was captured in an 18-second clip shared by the Facebook page ‘Hod Jang, Phuket Province’, shows several men punching and grappling with each other.
The post, which included the caption “Fighting hard #BanglaRoad, Patong!”, quickly gained attention, with netizens offering varied reactions, from humorous takes to concern about Patong’s reputation.
However, many of the comments focussed on the behaiour of tourists in Patong, as at the time it was unknown that one of the men in the fight was a Patong taxi driver.
The altercation occurred at the end of Bangla Rd. Locals are seen in the video trying to intervene and separate the fighting men.
Pol Lt Wichyu Dampuek of the Patong Police said that one of the involved parties was identified as Kopong Srisuwan, a 38-year-old taxi driver.
Kopong had already contacted police and provided a statement, Pol Lt Wichyu said.
Kopong told police that while he was parked at the end of Bangla Rd, his ‘uncle’, who was holding a sign to attract customers, was approached by a foreign man.
The man allegedly shoved Kopong’s ‘uncle’ twice and attempted to attack him. Kopong intervened, and the scuffle escalated, involving others, as seen in the viral footage.
According to Kopong, the altercation ended without any serious injuries or reports to the police.
Also according to Kopong, his ‘uncle’ said and did nothing to provoke the foreign tourist into shoving him.
Police later invited Kopong in for questioning and recommended a physical examination at Patong Hospital.
Officers are now working to identify and locate the foreign tourist involved in the fight, Pol Lt Wichyu said.