Hello, Phuket Express Readers and Supporters!

The following is our weekly feature in which we highlight the top local stories in our area of Phuket from the past week. The number of stories differ from week to week.

These are chosen and curated by our editorial team and are designed for our readers to get a quick “catch-up” of important stories they may have missed. We publish many stories daily and it is easy to lose track of important events or changes in our area. We do national recaps in a separate article, this is only the top local stories in Phuket province.

They are in no particular order of importance but roughly in order of publishing. These are from Monday, July 17th, 2023, to Sunday, July 23rd, 2023.

Let’s get started and see what the top local stories were!

1. A taxi rider damaged a fence after he got angry with a foreign passenger over an argument about a 44 baht fare difference in Patong.

The taxi motorbike rider became enraged and kicked at the fence nearby before giving the passenger the middle finger.

2. A wanted 30-year-old American man was arrested after he allegedly sexually abused a nine-year-old girl before escaping to Phuket.

He allegedly sexually abused a nine-year-old girl in a different country many times before he escaped to Thailand.

3. An overstaying American man was arrested at the Phuket International Airport.

He was taken to the Sakoo Police Station to face charges of overstaying.

4. Three Russian women were arrested in Thalang for allegedly providing salon and nail services which is a protected occupation only for Thai people.

Three Russian women who were identified only as Ms. Mazhitova, 22, Ms. Moiseenko, 32, and Ms. Nesterova, 26.

5. A Jordanian man was arrested in Patong after he was found to be providing a barber service to foreign customers which is a protected occupation only for Thai people.

ฺBarbers and salon workers are a protected Thai occupation and foreigners cannot work in this field or obtain work permits to do so.

6. An intoxicated Russian man was stopped by Phuket police with a taser (electric gun) after he was found to be damaging multiple cars in Wichit.

The foreign man was holding a bottle opener and uncooperative, threatening police officers and unable to communicate properly due to language barriers and intoxication.

That’s all for this week, as always thanks for your support!