Phuket’s Biggest Stories From the Past Week: Foreigners Arrested for Overstay and Theft, and More

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 differs 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.

They are in no particular order of importance but roughly in order of publishing. These are from Monday, February 19th to Sunday February 25th, 2024.

  1. An overstaying Russian man was arrested at a hotel in Patong.

Police arrested a 35-year-old Russian man at a hotel room in Patong.

2. A 36-year-old Tunisian man was arrested in Patong for theft.

A male foreign man stole the victim’s belongings at the end of the Bangla Road.

3. Three transgender people and three foreign men have been injured after an unsuccessful negotiation over pricing for companionship at a condominium in Karon in Mueang Phuket.

The men allegedly agreed to give the transgenders 4,000 baht each for their time. The three transgender people arrived at the room at the condominium but the three foreign men only gave 2,000 baht to one of the transgenders. They then asked the other two transgenders to leave the room and refused to pay them. This started the confrontation.

4. An illegal Ukrainian tour guide was arrested at an elephant camp in Rawai, Mueang Phuket.

The Phuket Express notes that tour guides are a protected occupation in Thailand and that work permits and visas are unavailable to foreigners for this job.

5. The Phuket governor has confirmed, according to him, that there is no foreign mafia in Phuket.

“However, in the unlikely event we find them, we are ready to crackdown and eliminate their presence in Thailand,” says Phuket Governor.

That’s it for this week. Be safe!

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Goongnang Suksawat
Goong Nang is a News Translator who has worked professionally for multiple news organizations in Thailand for many years and has worked with The Pattaya News for five years. Specializes primarily in local news for Phuket, Pattaya, and also some national news, with emphasis on translation between Thai to English and working as an intermediary between reporters and English-speaking writers. Originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat, but lives in Phuket and Krabi except when commuting between the three.