PATONG, THAILAND – A video from Phuket’s Patong district showing a foreign man assaulting a woman and a Tuk-Tuk driver went viral on Thai social media.
Incident on Thaweewong Road in Patong
The Tuk-Tuk driver posted the footage on 13 March on Facebook under the account name Ko Nus Ok. According to his account, the couple had asked him to make a brief stop at a roadside pharmacy.
Thai media, including the portal KomChadLuek, located the incident on Thaweewong Road in Patong. The video was shared thousands of times within a short period and triggered a broad public debate.
Attack in the vehicle after brief dispute
According to the driver, the man became impatient because the woman stayed in the shop longer than expected. The situation then escalated inside the Tuk-Tuk.
The video showed a physical confrontation between the man and his companion. The clip ended before the situation was fully resolved, leaving the outcome unclear.
Driver intervenes and is attacked himself
The Tuk-Tuk driver stated that he had tried several times to intervene. In doing so, he was physically attacked by the foreigner and was told to stay out of what was described as a private matter.
By his own account, he eventually brought the situation under control. He ordered the man out of the vehicle and drove the woman to her hotel.
Driver defends recording the video
When asked, the driver said he had filmed the incident to document potential damage to his vehicle and to have evidence for any future compensation claims. He reported that parts of his Tuk-Tuk were damaged during the confrontation.
He left open whether he had reported the incident to the police. No official confirmation of a complaint was available.
Online criticism targets both parties
On social media, users harshly condemned the foreign man’s behaviour. At the same time, some voices criticised the driver for filming first instead of intervening immediately, reviving a debate that surfaced in similar cases.
There was no publicly available information on any criminal complaint or on the man’s whereabouts. Patong police had not issued a public statement on the case.
Similar case reported from Pattaya in 2022
A comparable incident emerged from Pattaya in November 2022. A foreign man allegedly abused his partner repeatedly over several months in a house in the Nong Prue area.
A rescue team found the woman in need of help at the time. She described to the responders what had happened over the preceding months, and the case led to a police investigation.