A foreign man walked naked through the Patong neighbourhood of Phuket yesterday, September 22, and allegedly attacked a police officer who intervened in his indecent behaviour.
A viral video shared on the Phuket Times Facebook page showed the man walking unclothed along a busy road in Patong. The street was crowded with vehicles and tourists, both Thai and international, and lined with numerous restaurants and shops.
The foreigner also approached several tourists and motorists, pointed at their faces, and shouted vulgarities. Other foreigners who witnessed the incident attempted to calm him down and asked what had happened to him, but the naked man continued his rampage.
Four traffic police officers unsuccessfully attempted to apprehend the man. In the video, a Thai motorist can be heard saying…
“He approached me when I was in my car. Then, I saw him strangling a policeman, so I parked and came to the officer’s aid.”
Another Thai woman was heard shouting and laughing in the video…
“Wait, what? He isn’t wearing trousers. What’s going on? Why?”
In one photo shared online, the naked foreigner was seen attempting to get onto a police officer’s motorcycle while strangling the officer.
Netizens were divided in their opinions. Some found the matter humorous, while others linked it to dissatisfaction with Thailand’s visa-free entry scheme. Among the comments were…
“I guess he didn’t want to pay for his ladyboy massage, so they stole his clothes.”
“What drugs are they taking that cause this? So many people end up walking naked. I’m sure it depends on their dealer. Does anyone know what they’re using?”
“Phuket is full of foreigners like this. Good tourists no longer come because of the province’s negative image.”
“Since the visa-free period, the quality of tourists has declined. Many Arabs came but didn’t spend money. They just bought one bottle of beer and walked around all night. Has the government asked how the tourism economy is really doing? How many businesses have already failed?”
“Phuket has everything, especially low-quality visa-free tourists.”
One of the pictures shared by Phuket Times showed that police successfully arrested the man as he was seen in handcuffs. However, the media has not yet reported how the situation concluded or what prompted the man’s naked rampage.
Such behaviour may result in a fine of up to 5,000 baht according to Section 388 of the Criminal Law: public indecency.
The story Naked foreign man causes chaos in Phuket and attacks police as seen on Thaiger News.
