KOH PHI PHI, THAILAND – CCTV footage from a bar on the holiday island appeared to show two foreign men taking liquor bottles from the counter and leaving without paying.
Video shared widely on Thai Facebook
The recordings were posted on the popular Thai Facebook page เจ๊ม้อย v+, which frequently shared everyday incidents for public discussion. According to the page, the men’s nationalities were initially unknown, and attention focused instead on the sequence of events. The footage reportedly showed two thefts, minutes apart, inside the same venue.
The post stated that the video captured the men taking two bottles within about 15 minutes. The images circulated widely online, drawing hundreds of comments and renewed scrutiny of tourist behavior on Koh Phi Phi.
First incident: acting like customers, then taking a bottle
In the video, two men in a white T‑shirt and a brown T‑shirt approached the bar counter and first looked at a menu as if placing a normal order. They then waited, according to the description, for a moment when staff were distracted. At that point, one of them took a black bottle directly from the counter and left with it.
The post did not indicate any immediate reaction from the bar staff at this stage. The alleged theft was only noticed later, when employees reviewed the recording.
Second attempt: return to the bar and bottle in shorts
Shortly afterwards, the man in the brown T‑shirt reportedly returned alone to the counter and stayed there for an unusually long time. He then reached for another bottle and, according to the description, tried to hide it in his shorts. The sequence led viewers online to accuse him of a deliberate second theft.
The page’s report suggested that the man lingered at the counter to find an opportunity out of sight of the staff. The attempt was later reconstructed from the camera footage.
Staff confrontation and a birthday excuse
Employees later noticed that stock was missing and checked the security cameras, which they said provided clear visual evidence before confronting the two men. The Facebook page described that they felt they had “clear proof” of what had happened.
The suspects allegedly denied the theft at first. One of them then reportedly claimed that it was his birthday and that someone in the bar had told him he could take anything he wanted for free “as a gift”.
Unclear legal steps as online pressure mounted
According to the report, it remained unclear whether the bar owner decided to file a formal complaint. This uncertainty angered many commenters on social media. In their reactions, users urged the owner not to let the men simply continue their travels and to pursue the case fully.
Several comments called for stricter action against such incidents to send a signal to other visitors. Others warned that failing to report the case could encourage repeat offences.
Memories of earlier attempted tip-box theft
Multiple commenters also described similar experiences with alleged thefts by foreign visitors. One Thai user said he saw tourists eat snacks in a shop and leave without paying. Another pointed out that, based on the bar’s interior, this could be the same venue where a group of foreigners had allegedly tried to steal a tip box the previous year.
In that earlier case, tourists at the counter were filmed taking the tip box, trying to hide it and then being caught. The suspects returned the box, and, according to the account, the owner decided against further legal steps. The latest incident revived debate over whether such leniency was still appropriate on the busy tourist island.