Picture courtesy of The Phuket News

 

A tense encounter unfolded at a Phuket viewpoint yesterday when a woman allegedly threatened finance agents with a firearm over missed car payments. At around 4:20 pm at Khao Khad Viewpoint, two agents approached the woman about a debt of over 33,000 Thai baht on a Honda Jazz. The situation escalated when she reportedly threatened the agents with a gun.

 

Police quickly intervened after the agents reported the incident to the Wichit Police Station. The suspect, identified as 60-year-old Patch, was located in Wichit’s Moo 1 and brought to the station voluntarily. She brought along a registered .38 calibre Smith & Wesson revolver, approved in Trang’s Hat Samran District.

 

During police questioning, Patch admitted using the weapon, citing panic and health issues as motivations. She explained her actions were unintentional, driven by stress over possible car repossession and her lung condition. Authorities charged her with unlawful possession of a firearm and threatening behaviour.

 

The investigation continues as police proceed with legal actions against Patch. This event follows a similar incident in Bangkok involving a student found with a loaded revolver, reported The Thaiger.

 

Key Takeaways:

 

• A woman in Phuket allegedly threatened finance agents over a car debt with a firearm.
• Police charged her with unauthorised firearm possession and threatening behaviour.
• Legal proceedings are ongoing as investigations continue.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-12-18

 

 

 

What amazes me is how many poor thais have New cars the lending insitutions dont care because it makes them look good it has to come crashing down at some stage its a bigger problem than what people think

55 minutes ago, ozz1 said:

What amazes me is how many poor thais have New cars the lending insitutions dont care because it makes them look good it has to come crashing down at some stage its a bigger problem than what people think

 

Cars and gas need to be made much more expensive.  Not to target poor people, but because there are just too many cars on streets that were never designed for it.  Also, there is not nearly enough parking.  So then you have people parking on the sides of streets and double parking, causing even more congestion.  It just becomes a vicious circle.  I shake my head at the ridiculousness of it all with no end in sight.  It just keeps getting worse year after year.

Was the legality of the loan checked?

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

 

Cars and gas need to be made much more expensive.  Not to target poor people, but because there are just too many cars on streets that were never designed for it.  Also, there is not nearly enough parking.  So then you have people parking on the sides of streets and double parking, causing even more congestion.  It just becomes a vicious circle.  I shake my head at the ridiculousness of it all with no end in sight.  It just keeps getting worse year after year.

This is the route taken by Singapore where traffic jams are rare.  In order to buy a car, one must first buy a license to buy the car of which there are a limited number available.  The license alone can cost close to $100,000.  It's good for 10 years then expires.  One must also show one has an off street parking space.

2 hours ago, ozz1 said:

What amazes me is how many poor thais have New cars the lending insitutions dont care because it makes them look good it has to come crashing down at some stage its a bigger problem than what people think

Don't just blame banks. Previous governments subsidized many low cost loan plans to stimulate the auto industry like the "First Time Buyers" plan 5 years ago wherein borrowers only had to put 5% down.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Was the legality of the loan checked?

You know how it works with car financing in Thailand, the person who wants the car can never afford to pay for it themselves.
Then there is always an uncle or someone else who is willing to act as guarantor, and that is how the problem arises.
An everyday occurrence in LOS.

1 hour ago, dddave said:

This is the route taken by Singapore where traffic jams are rare.  In order to buy a car, one must first buy a license to buy the car of which there are a limited number available.  The license alone can cost close to $100,000.  It's good for 10 years then expires.  One must also show one has an off street parking space.

How many times larger is Thailand than Singapore?
In my opinion, it is wrong to increase fuel prices for that reason. Incidentally, car prices are already considerably higher than average, apart from pick-ups and non-imported cars.

34 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

You know how it works with car financing in Thailand, the person who wants the car can never afford to pay for it themselves.
Then there is always an uncle or someone else who is willing to act as guarantor, and that is how the problem arises.
An everyday occurrence in LOS.

Which is ok and not my question.

 

Let me rephrase, were the loan conditions checked for legality? Specifically the interest rate, or is this one of the common 5 or 10 baht loans?

The  firearm she took to the police station must have been illegally registered for her to be charged with illegal possession.

1 hour ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

The  firearm she took to the police station must have been illegally registered for her to be charged with illegal possession.

I presume the licence is restricted by area?

 

"She brought along a registered .38 calibre Smith & Wesson revolver, approved in Trang’s Hat Samran District."

1 hour ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

The  firearm she took to the police station must have been illegally registered for her to be charged with illegal possession.

I think carrying it in public is illegal though, she was also charged with using it, yet going by what is reported here, she didn't fire it......

On 12/18/2025 at 3:35 AM, webfact said:

During police questioning, Patch admitted using the weapon, citing panic and health issues as motivations. She explained her actions were unintentional, driven by stress over possible car repossession and her lung condition. Authorities charged her with unlawful possession of a firearm and threatening behaviour.

Sorry luv, you're nicked