Police in Patong, Phuket, arrested a group of foreign tourists after they used water guns to spray officers on duty during Songkran celebrations, an act seen as going beyond festive behaviour and posing a risk of injury.

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The incident came to light on 14 April 2026 after videos circulated widely on social media. The footage showed officers from Patong Police Station attempting to carry out their duties at a coordination tent in Patong municipality when they were targeted by dozens of tourists on 13 April 2026.

In the first clips, a large group of foreign tourists are seen repeatedly firing high-pressure water guns at police officers stationed at the Songkran festival site. Officers are forced to run for cover to avoid potential harm.

A second clip, filmed from inside a vehicle, captures another angle of the same group surrounding and spraying the officers. The intensity and coordinated nature of the water spraying suggested deliberate targeting rather than typical festival play.

Picture courtesy of ThaiRath

A third clip shows police officers pursuing and arresting those involved. The suspects were subsequently taken into custody at Patong Police Station for legal proceedings.

Authorities indicated the actions exceeded acceptable Songkran conduct and could have caused injury to officers performing official duties. The behaviour was described as intentional and disruptive, particularly given the number of individuals involved.

The incident has raised concerns about maintaining safety and order during large-scale festival events, especially in major tourist destinations like Patong. ThaiRath reported that police are expected to proceed with legal action against those detained, while continuing to monitor festival activities to ensure public safety throughout the remaining Songkran period.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now ThaiRath 15 Apr 2026

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Very bad image the Thai police are giving of thailand and thai police are sending the message that foreigners are not safe from police racketing.

3 minutes ago, SingAPorn said:

Very bad image the Thai police are giving of thailand and thai police are sending the message that foreigners are not safe from police racketing.

What ? This group of spoons are in the wrong.

Sounds more like a demonstration than a Songkran celebration.

The tourists should behave, but the RTP should also not be so xenophobic. It is always a 2 sided situation. The charges for tourists are a bit ridiculous, it wasbonly water, but the tourists should be fined with a huge fine. However Songkran is too long. This year even 5/6 days and you can expect problems

Time to 'interview' the offenders!

1 hour ago, SingAPorn said:

Very bad image the Thai police are giving of thailand and thai police are sending the message that foreigners are not safe from police racketing.

Not at all. Your French friends from the Maghreb have made Patong and the surrounding communities a living hell. They circulate in mobs, disrespect the locals and disregard the most basic of driving regulations. They are bullies. The cops are working and these idiots soak the cops and their equipment. They don't even respect the EMS workers who respond to injuries.

1 hour ago, SingAPorn said:

Very bad image the Thai police are giving of thailand and thai police are sending the message that foreigners are not safe from police racketing.

12 hours ago, SingAPorn said:

The fools are mainly those who go to Thailand during this crazy season or those who go out with all the chaos that does not change in years.

Changes your BS theory now have you!!

I see the old knee on the neck routine is still a good one 55555

These foreigners are complete GOONS.

How can they be so unaware of the local culture?

I think each of these fools should be waterboarded, every day for a week, and then banned from Thailand for life.

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

These foreigners are complete GOONS.

How can they be so unaware of the local culture?

I think each of these fools should be waterboarded, every day for a week, and then banned from Thailand for life.

I think the lifetime ban is probably good enough.

Truly the dregs of not only society, but of the entire world.

Basically....ANIMALS.

And, watching the cops restrain that one guy on the ground reminds me of a....

Hog-Tying Competition.

How are these "Foreigners" even allowed into this country in the first place?

And, where do they come from.

I have never in my life seen such lowlife, uncultured and uncouth animals.

How, I wonder, can attending an event such as this be any fun or enjoyment whatsoever???

And, to think that Songkran is supposed to be a traditional time full of respect....

Just mindboggling.

My greatest wish this year is that the Israeli war will lead to total destruction of the gas fields in the ME, resulting in a total collapse of passenger air transit for the next three years.

This will give us time to clean out the riffraff that has been accumulating here.

19 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I see the old knee on the neck routine is still a good one 55555

Bad look - they should have picked a white guy 🙄

1 minute ago, Wuvu2 said:

Bad look - they should have picked a white guy 🙄

An animal by any color is still and animal.

44 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Not at all. Your French friends from the Maghreb have made Patong and the surrounding communities a living hell. They circulate in mobs, disrespect the locals and disregard the most basic of driving regulations. They are bullies. The cops are working and these idiots soak the cops and their equipment. They don't even respect the EMS workers who respond to injuries.

Did you say maghreb?

Ah....this explains so much...

I did not come to Thailand to live with this ilk; please believe me.

If this keeps up, I may feel the need to decamp to China, where people are still people, and civilized people, at that.

16 minutes ago, blaze master said:

I think the lifetime ban is probably good enough.

NO...not enough for Songkran....

There must be a water component to their punishment, just to be fair, during Songkran.

Waterboarding is the only thing these goons will fear.

2 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

NO...not enough for Songkran....

There must be a water component to their punishment, just to be fair, during Songkran.

Waterboarding is the only thing these goons will fear.

And here I thought you of all people would be past such primitive kinds of things. 😔

3 minutes ago, blaze master said:

And here I thought you of all people would be past such primitive kinds of things. 😔

If Singapore can condone caning, then why not waterboarding?

1 minute ago, GammaGlobulin said:

If Singapore can condone caning, then why not waterboarding?

At what point do we move past barbarian practices and evolve. What good is a species that cannot control itself.

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

At what point do we move past barbarian practices and evolve. What good is a species that cannot control itself.

From the video, and the inability of those in the video of this travesty, to control themselves, I would say...."no good".

Thankfully, I have chosen to remain with the Good Humans, up here in Chiang Mai.

Higher IQ

More knowledge and appreciation of culture

Twice as civilized.

This is why I live where I do.

We don't seem to get the same quality of foreigners (barbarians) here, as what is exemplified in the attached video.

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

The tourists should behave, but the RTP should also not be so xenophobic. It is always a 2 sided situation. The charges for tourists are a bit ridiculous, it wasbonly water, but the tourists should be fined with a huge fine. However Songkran is too long. This year even 5/6 days and you can expect problems

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

From the video, and the inability of those in the video of this travesty, to control themselves, I would say...."no good".

Thankfully, I have chosen to remain with the Good Humans, up here in Chiang Mai.

Higher IQ

More knowledge and appreciation of culture

Twice as civilized.

This is why I live where I do.

We don't seem to get the same quality of foreigners (barbarians) here, as what is exemplified in the attached video.

People with a high iq will give chiang Mai a pass right now. I mean you must be a total tool to visit the PM 2.5 capital of the world.

1 minute ago, KireB said:

People with a high iq will give chiang Mai a pass right now. I mean you must be a total tool to visit the PM 2.5 capital of the world.

Even with plenty of smoke in CM, at the moment, compared to what I see in the video (attached), I am the smarter...IMHO.

Here is an interesting thought...maybe:

In Taiwan, something like this would never be allowed to happen.

For one thing, Taiwan does not invite huge groups, or bands, or gangs, of foreigners to arrive on the island and cause havoc.

Most foreigners travel to Taiwan for culture, language study, advanced uni degrees, and for other higher pursuits.

The people we see in this video would never be interested in visiting Taiwan, nor would they be welcome there.

Tourists in Taiwan are very polite and respectful, and are often highly educated.

Many people confuse Thailand and Taiwan, but I don't know why.

Thailand is a far more comfortable place to live.

If only it were not for the foreigners here.....Alas.....

Same mob that attacked the van driver, soaked him and the inside of his van repeatedly, extremely lucky that they were not shot!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1HR2wX8Dig/

3 hours ago, SingAPorn said:

Very bad image the Thai police are giving of thailand and thai police are sending the message that foreigners are not safe from police racketing.

Total <deleted>. Foreigners are the biggest a holes at Songkran. There are rules… don’t spray cops or normies going about their business and don’t be a <deleted>!

3 hours ago, SingAPorn said:

Very bad image the Thai police are giving of thailand and thai police are sending the message that foreigners are not safe from police racketing.

What load of 🐂💩

25 minutes ago, LennyW said:

Same mob that attacked the van driver, soaked him and the inside of his van repeatedly, extremely lucky that they were not shot!!

Where is the vid, please?

Is there a link?

The only thing that comes to mind is, "Dumber than a box of rocks."

They pick the one black guy in the crowd of white morons. That's going to get universally condemned in the West. But the selection of "perps" to take down is not surprising in the least.

4 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

In the first clips, a large group of foreign tourists are seen repeatedly firing high-pressure water guns at police officers stationed at the Songkran festival site. Officers are forced to run for cover to avoid potential harm

If water from those guns will harm police they will harm anyone, right?