Photo via Facebook/ ยศวดี พานทอง

 

A Thai resident has urged legal action against two foreigners who were caught spray-painting in Phuket without permission. The call came after Yotwadee Panthong exposed the men’s activities in a local Facebook group on December 15. His post, featuring photos of the men in action, questioned whether authorities would intervene.

 

The incident involved a foreign man in a white tank top using pastel blue spray paint to mark a wall, while another, in a black T-shirt, was seen painting a rusty door of an abandoned building. The situation has stirred debate among locals, with some noting that graffiti on abandoned properties is common and often deemed acceptable. Others criticized the perceived unequal enforcement of laws, citing instances where graffiti with foreign text went unpunished.

 

 

Netizens compared this event to past incidents involving foreigners and graffiti in Thailand. In October, two teenagers were filmed spray-painting a wall in Phuket, while in September, authorities arrested a suspect in Bangkok for vandalizing a culturally significant mural. These cases highlight ongoing concerns about graffiti's impact on public and private property, and the need for clearer regulations and consistent enforcement.

 

Authorities have yet to issue an official statement or confirm if an investigation into the recent case has begun. The lack of immediate police response has fueled the conversation about whether laws are applied equally regardless of nationality.

 

 

Looking ahead, the extent to which law enforcement addresses this case could impact how similar issues are managed in the future. Authorities may consider clarifying regulations and ensuring balanced enforcement to prevent further disputes, reported The Thaiger.

 

Key Takeaways

• Thai man calls for legal action against foreigners for graffiti in Phuket.
• Netizens debate over unequal enforcement and cultural perceptions of graffiti.
• Authorities are yet to respond officially to the incident.

 

Related Stories:

Foreign Teens Condemned for Graffiti on Phuket Building

Russian Teen Nabbed in Midnight Pattaya Graffiti Plot

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-12-16

 

 

 

Where can you get a permit to spray graffiti in Phuket?

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Photo via Facebook/ ยศวดี พานทอง

 

A Thai resident has urged legal action against two foreigners who were caught spray-painting in Phuket without permission. The call came after Yotwadee Panthong exposed the men’s activities in a local Facebook group on December 15. His post, featuring photos of the men in action, questioned whether authorities would intervene.

 

The incident involved a foreign man in a white tank top using pastel blue spray paint to mark a wall, while another, in a black T-shirt, was seen painting a rusty door of an abandoned building. The situation has stirred debate among locals, with some noting that graffiti on abandoned properties is common and often deemed acceptable. Others criticized the perceived unequal enforcement of laws, citing instances where graffiti with foreign text went unpunished.

 

 

Netizens compared this event to past incidents involving foreigners and graffiti in Thailand. In October, two teenagers were filmed spray-painting a wall in Phuket, while in September, authorities arrested a suspect in Bangkok for vandalizing a culturally significant mural. These cases highlight ongoing concerns about graffiti's impact on public and private property, and the need for clearer regulations and consistent enforcement.

 

Authorities have yet to issue an official statement or confirm if an investigation into the recent case has begun. The lack of immediate police response has fueled the conversation about whether laws are applied equally regardless of nationality.

 

 

Looking ahead, the extent to which law enforcement addresses this case could impact how similar issues are managed in the future. Authorities may consider clarifying regulations and ensuring balanced enforcement to prevent further disputes, reported The Thaiger.

 

Key Takeaways

• Thai man calls for legal action against foreigners for graffiti in Phuket.
• Netizens debate over unequal enforcement and cultural perceptions of graffiti.
• Authorities are yet to respond officially to the incident.

 

Related Stories:

Foreign Teens Condemned for Graffiti on Phuket Building

Russian Teen Nabbed in Midnight Pattaya Graffiti Plot

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-12-16

 

 

 

6 months jail. They will never do it again. <deleted> 

Never mind the spray can, kick this douche out for wearing a wife beater in public.

Vandal-tourism. What a d-bag 🥺

In the last 3/4 years the type of western tourist that now come here has drastically changed . I can’t think why in all honesty, obviously it’s not the legalisation of a certain lettuce….. Could be worse though, they could be setting up scam call centres or serving up class A’s on the street at night, taking Thai jobs and working illegally or even involved in organised crime and money laundering.

Well, well, almighty God, the artist had the wrong visa and, on top of that naturally, no work permit! 

     Good for the resident urging action.  Lock them up for 30 days, along with a big fine--after requiring them to repaint the wall themselves, and at their expense.   Government needs to crack down on anybody doing this--regardless of nationality.  

17 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds said:

Never mind the spray can, kick this douche out for wearing a wife beater in public.

Wife beater are you saying these are oztrailingzons 

All well in a designated area and if it's artistic but what kind of utter moron goes on holiday and thinks oh I know what I'm going to do today , I'm going to go buy a pile of spray paint and spray my name on a random wall somewhere that nobody will notice it or think that looks great .

Utterly brain dead 🫩

Foreigners in Thailand should at least be subject to the same laws as Thais. 

In order to perform graffiti in Thailand one needs to have a special graffiti sanctioned work permit. 

 

I'm actually quite fond of graffiti, I think it's a rather amazing form of contemporary street art. 

 

 

So old grey concrete is better then......

I don't blame those residents. Too many foreigners come here for holiday, having no connections to the communities they invade, and then treat those communities as toilets.                            This is why larger fines for foreigners' transgressions are not only warranted but necessary

Any foreign tourist or expat should get jail time and be made to clean up their graffiti the get deported and banned from returning to Thailand.

No country needs more graffiti.

On 12/17/2025 at 8:44 AM, spidermike007 said:

In order to perform graffiti in Thailand one needs to have a special graffiti sanctioned work permit. 

 

I'm actually quite fond of graffiti, I think it's a rather amazing form of contemporary street art. 

 

On 12/17/2025 at 8:44 AM, spidermike007 said:

In order to perform graffiti in Thailand one needs to have a special graffiti sanctioned work permit. 

 

I'm actually quite fond of graffiti, I think it's a rather amazing form of contemporary street art. 

 

 

Contemporay street art? It's garbage'

24 minutes ago, HarveyM said:

Any foreign tourist or expat should get jail time and be made to clean up their graffiti the get deported and banned from returning to Thailand.

No country needs more graffiti.

+1.

4 minutes ago, eastlight said:

 

 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

In order to perform graffiti in Thailand one needs to have a special graffiti sanctioned work permit. 

 

I'm actually quite fond of graffiti, I think it's a rather amazing form of contemporary street art. 

 

 

Well the best is good ....most is crap!

Why not have a classy tourist graffiti area 

somewhere? Same as Georgetown Malaysia?

It's actually a UNESCO site , same as the one

we are fighting a war over.

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

egal action against two foreigners who were caught spray-painting in Phuket without permission.

 

Or working without a permit? Sorted.

The government should be taking stricter action on foreigners Doing this

But the Authorities are scared of upsetting their  Tourist image fines should be issued and more severe penalties if required  🤔 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

In order to perform graffiti in Thailand one needs to have a special graffiti sanctioned work permit. 

 

I'm actually quite fond of graffiti, I think it's a rather amazing form of contemporary street art. 

 

 

 

Let's have the vandals come tag your property. Nothing says home sweet home like gang insignia scrawled on the wall, or  political"art". bet you would love it if someone painted a portrait of Trump on your wall and underneath it wrote Making The World Better. How about a giant sized penis?

The law and order crowd is certainly out in full force today. Though I do not think it is right to deface retail storefronts, etc., there is a time and a place for excellent graffiti art. Being an art collector, perhaps I have more appreciation for it than most. Also, it might be an age thing too, as many older guys just cannot see the cultural aspect of it. For many it is unsightly and not interesting. And I am not implying that the graffiti in question is world class, like some of these shown here. The first photo is a tower in downtown Los Angeles, that was tagged in a major way. And the graffiti was simply self aggrandizing in style, so no real content. But, it was an abandoned Chinese project that ran out of money, so who cares? I do not. The local officials sure got bent out of shape, when it started getting alot of publicity. That was alot of fun to witness. It is what I might describe as a very minor form of anarchy. Quite innocent, most of the time. 

 

It can be a profoundly deep form of art, and the political statements are hugely important for society. Perhaps it should be confined to warehouses, or derelict buildings here?

 

 

15 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Let's have the vandals come tag your property. Nothing says home sweet home like gang insignia scrawled on the wall, or  political"art". bet you would love it if someone painted a portrait of Trump on your wall and underneath it wrote Making The World Better. How about a giant sized penis?

Sounds like great fun to me. Should I publish my address? Maybe we can wage a graffiti contest. Free art on the house. Nice. 

There are real street artists, I love Banksy . . .

 

1 hour ago, HarveyM said:

Any foreign tourist or expat should get jail time and be made to clean up their graffiti the get deported and banned from returning to Thailand.

No country needs more graffiti.

I feel the opposite and I think every country needs more graffiti and street art.

Can't think of why people would go through the expense and time to come here to unleash the paint tins, Are, or these two-expat artist?

24 minutes ago, Look Chang said:

There are real street artists, I love Banksy . . .

 

As a Bristolian yeh his art is great, but just go to Bristol now and see the 80% of crap where idiots think they can tag and spray anything , anywhere including historical buildings. Stupid council wanting  Bristol as the graffiti capital of the UK…not all street art is actual art. Even Banky’s street art has been defaced with tagging etc . Bristol is now a leftie 💩 hole and even Banksy is a complete melt…..fwee fwee Hamas <deleted> 

3 hours ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

In the last 3/4 years the type of western tourist that now come here has drastically changed . I can’t think why in all honesty, obviously it’s not the legalisation of a certain lettuce….. Could be worse though, they could be setting up scam call centres or serving up class A’s on the street at night, taking Thai jobs and working illegally or even involved in organised crime and money laundering.

TAT's obsession with tourist numbers

2 hours ago, murto said:

I don't blame those residents. Too many foreigners come here for holiday, having no connections to the communities they invade, and then treat those communities as toilets.                            This is why larger fines for foreigners' transgressions are not only warranted but necessary

you dont want tourists, do you ?. only there money

2 hours ago, brian69 said:

So old grey concrete is better then......

Whoooossssshhhhhhh, over your head. Let me splain it to you. It’s not a matter of how the wall looks before or after. It’s the idea that foreigners think they can do anything they want and just get away with it. This is an act of disrespect to Thailand. They sprayed paint on property that doesn’t belong to them. That is vandalism, a crime in any country. It’s up to the owner to decide, which is his absolute right. This is not the first time for these two. How do you know that your house, or car, or whatever isn’t next? Do you get it? Capisce?