Phuket’s Biggest Stories From the Past Week: Crackdown on Foreigners Using Thais as Business Owner Nominees, and More 

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, April 1st to April 7th, 2024.

1. The Patong Municipality will hold the Songkran Water Music Festival on the Beach 2024 events with water fighting from April 12th to April 14th at Patong Beach.

There will be three days of water fights held by the Patong Municipality.

2. Foreign Passenger Attempts Knife Attack on Phuket Taxi Driver-VIDEO.

A Portuguese woman was arrested after she was caught on a viral video carrying a knife and allegedly threatening to assault a female taxi driver at a hotel in Rawai.

The suspect has not spoken to the press.

3. A male foreign tourist is facing charges after reportedly attacking a taxi driver in Phuket. The incident unfolded when the taxi driver requested that the tourist refrain from smoking inside the vehicle.

In the footage seen HERE, the foreigner can be seen forcefully pushing the taxi driver out of the cab in Thalang.

This suspect also hasn’t spoken to the press.

4. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has conducted raids on 17 companies in Phuket amid suspicions that Thai nationals have been acting as illegal nominees for Russian individuals who are suspected of being the true business owners.

In a recent operation, Region 8 Police conducted a raid on a restaurant located in Cherng Talay. The establishment, known as OCTOPUS Restaurant, has been at the center of attention due to its substantial revenue—approximately 80 million baht.

Crackdowns on foreigners using Thais as illegal nominees to run businesses in Phuket continue.

5. Chalong Police Arrest Male German Overstayer After Axe Threat in Rawai – VIDEO

In a dramatic turn of events, Chalong Police apprehended a male German national who had overstayed his visa by more than 500 days. The incident unfolded in the quiet neighborhood of Soi Naya in Rawai.

That’s it for this week. Be safe!