Patong Crackdown Follows Viral Songkran Water-Throwing Incident

Patong Crackdown Follows Viral Songkran Water-Throwing Incident

An incident involving a van driver and foreign tourists has gone extremely viral all across social media. In the video, you can see quite a few foreigners spraying their water guns directly at a single van driver in an incident that is painting Songkran in a bad light. Some men kept opening the doors of his van to make him step out of the van to close them and keep repeatedly getting drenched in water. After the event, however, only seven foreign tourists were arrested in Patong after they allegedly forced open a vehicle door to spray water inside during Songkran despite the driver’s objections. Police said the group would face charges linked to causing a public disturbance and obstructing traffic. The case gained wide attention after a video circulated online showing the confrontation and drawing criticism over behaviour seen as going too far during the festival. Authorities responded by stressing that public order measures had been strengthened in the area to protect both residents and visitors. The arrests reflected a firmer stance from police as Phuket dealt with rowdy Songkran incidents in busy tourist zones.