Four foreign teenagers were arrested in Phuket on May 17 after stealing and damaging a lamp shade outside a residential home on Phang Nga Road in the Phuket Old Town area. The theft, captured on CCTV and shared by the Phuket Times Facebook page, shows a teenager removing the shade with friends, later found broken nearby. Arrests were made by Mueang Phuket Police at accommodation in the Thalang district.

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The teenagers, aged 15 to 18, admitted to the theft, describing their actions as reckless. However, the police have not disclosed specific charges or penalties, which has drawn local criticism. Residents are urging stricter measures to prevent crimes involving foreign visitors and to foster respect for local customs and property.

Reactions from social media include calls for harsher punishments, citing Thailand’s Criminal Law on night-time theft, which could lead to imprisonment, fines, or both. Others speculate the teenagers might face lesser penalties. The incident has sparked conversation about the approach to handling such cases involving foreigners.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Thaiger · 18 May 2026

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20 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

stealing and damaging a lamp shade outside a residential home on Phang Nga

Hardly the crime of the century is it ?

Yes it is wrong and they should be punished...perhaps with a small fine and some community service perhaps 50 hours cleaning up rubbish in the neighbourhood

(and dog vomit with their tongues 😋 just joking )

Four foreign teenagers with no parental supervision!

Their parents need to be made aware that Thailand enforces a strict Parental Responsibility Law.

Under this Law, if a minor commits a crime (such as vandalism or public disruption), parents who failed to provide proper supervision and control can face criminal punishment and fines.

2 minutes ago, Jim Waldron said:

Four foreign teenagers with no parental supervision!

Their parents need to be made aware that Thailand enforces a strict Parental Responsibility Law.

Under this Law, if a minor commits a crime (such as vandalism or public disruption), parents who failed to provide proper supervision and control can face criminal punishment and fines.

Saw a brief article earlier that David Lammy is introducing (or at least proposing to) such a law in UK.............about bloody time...........

Morons- fine them heavily , blacklist forever and out on a plane asap please

11 minutes ago, Legal Lifeline said:

Morons- fine them heavily , blacklist forever and out on a plane asap please

Legal Lifeline, really? Showing your inability to be neutral from a legal perspective is indicative of your lack of credibility. You are null on the list for legal advice.

2 minutes ago, novacova said:

Legal Lifeline, really? Showing your inability to be neutral from a legal perspective is indicative of your lack of credibility. You are null on the list for legal advice.

The video is clear- and what level of intelligence takes pleasure from stealing a light cover?

I am happy to stand by my criticism of these morons

8 minutes ago, novacova said:

Legal Lifeline, really? Showing your inability to be neutral from a legal perspective is indicative of your lack of credibility. You are null on the list for legal advice.

"neutral from a legal perspective".... makes no sense... you want counseling and an arts and crafts class as punishment?

The law should not be neutral... those who break the law should pay the price... I would blacklist for maybe 40 years... maybe learn some respect for others property by then.

If you want to stop this sort of breakdown of law, you must make the punishment severe enough to deter even morons like this.

Too bad Thailand doesn't have caning like Singapore. I doubt if they have many crimes like this.

I believe in treating these trash humans gently, but first you have to get their attention. A small fine won't do that

Garbage parents with their garbage children in tow would not be surprising. Phuket now seems to be developing a generational problem of foreigners with bad behavior.

15 hours ago, johng said:

Hardly the crime of the century is it ?

Yes it is wrong and they should be punished...perhaps with a small fine and some community service perhaps 50 hours cleaning up rubbish in the neighbourhood

(and dog vomit with their tongues 😋 just joking )

However, this would violate the ban on working for foreigners, as this activity is reserved for locals.
The result could mean deportation.

5 minutes ago, Emdog said:

"neutral from a legal perspective".... makes no sense... you want counseling and an arts and crafts class as punishment?

The law should not be neutral... those who break the law should pay the price... I would blacklist for maybe 40 years... maybe learn some respect for others property by then.

If you want to stop this sort of breakdown of law, you must make the punishment severe enough to deter even morons like this.

Too bad Thailand doesn't have caning like Singapore. I doubt if they have many crimes like this.

I believe in treating these trash humans gently, but first you have to get their attention. A small fine won't do that

5 years holiday in the Bangkok Hilton with free board and lodgings shoul teach them a lesson.

5 minutes ago, Emdog said:

"neutral from a legal perspective".... makes no sense... you want counseling and an arts and crafts class as punishment?

The law should not be neutral... those who break the law should pay the price... I would blacklist for maybe 40 years... maybe learn some respect for others property by then.

If you want to stop this sort of breakdown of law, you must make the punishment severe enough to deter even morons like this.

Too bad Thailand doesn't have caning like Singapore. I doubt if they have many crimes like this.

I believe in treating these trash humans gently, but first you have to get their attention. A small fine won't do

9 minutes ago, Emdog said:

"neutral from a legal perspective".... makes no sense... you want counseling and an arts and crafts class as punishment?

The law should not be neutral... those who break the law should pay the price... I would blacklist for maybe 40 years... maybe learn some respect for others property by then.

If you want to stop this sort of breakdown of law, you must make the punishment severe enough to deter even morons like this.

Too bad Thailand doesn't have caning like Singapore. I doubt if they have many crimes like this.

I believe in treating these trash humans gently, but first you have to get their attention. A small fine won't do that

So you’d prefer legal advice from someone who will litigate against you, now you are coming off as idiotic as the spammer @Legal Lifeline

7 hours ago, Off Piste said:

Saw a brief article earlier that David Lammy is introducing (or at least proposing to) such a law in UK.............about bloody time...........

Yes, UK can learn a lot from Thailand.

Start now❗

Too many scum tourists coming to Thailand now, thinking

they can do what they like,with antisocial behavior ,like

they are back in the West,

regards Worgeordie

Yeah, give the little toerags like 40 hours of community service... say, cleaning sewers, sweeping and deweeding roads or something equally unglamorous.

Recently read an article where the parents of misfits were being held accountable for their children's misdeeds. Sounds like a good idea re-encourage parental responsibility.

Amazing news.. I guess assaults, murders, serious theft and rapes amongst the local population isn't worth mentioning.

5 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Yeah, give the little toerags like 40 hours of community service... say, cleaning sewers, sweeping and deweeding roads or something equally unglamorous.

6 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Yeah, give the little toerags like 40 hours of community service... say, cleaning sewers, sweeping and deweeding roads or something equally unglamorous.

6 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

Yeah, give the little toerags like 40 hours of community service... say, cleaning sewers, sweeping and deweeding roads or something equally unglamorous.

There's a vacancy now at the Bangkok Hilton sewerage farm now that Thaksin has gone home.They could take his job.

8 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

Thailand enforces a strict Parental Responsibility Law.

Since when ???

1 hour ago, Legal Lifeline said:

The video is clear- and what level of intelligence takes pleasure from stealing a light cover?

I am happy to stand by my criticism of these morons

You’re a bias one sided poster parading under the guise of a legal sponsor spamming for attention which undermines the credibility of the forum. Highly doubt you know anything about legal advice, probably just farm it out if anything, therefore your credibility is in the tank since you have no mediation tools, can’t get any more moronic than that.

8 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

Four foreign teenagers with no parental supervision!

Their parents need to be made aware that Thailand enforces a strict Parental Responsibility Law.

Under this Law, if a minor commits a crime (such as vandalism or public disruption), parents who failed to provide proper supervision and control can face criminal punishment and fines.

But is it enforced? They allow youngsters do get away from punishment where other countries don't. yes, it's first the parents responsibility to teach the children respect for others, but how many children are from homes without a dad present? How many are left with grandparents as caregivers, many of which are too old to be of any good? Over 35% at least in Thailand.

In this case, seeing it's foreigners, the children should be given community service and a warning, first offense. Kids do stupid things all over, even if their parents teach them not to, but those who are consistent with their children usually have less trouble with them outside the home. Sometimes they have to learn a lesson from the court system.

Let them spend a few months in the BKK Hilton. They will have a great time with the boys.

1 minute ago, Taboo2 said:

Let them spend a few months in the BKK Hilton. They will have a great time with the boys.

Another poster with a weird fantasy🙄

8 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

Four foreign teenagers with no parental supervision!

Their parents need to be made aware that Thailand enforces a strict Parental Responsibility Law.

Under this Law, if a minor commits a crime (such as vandalism or public disruption), parents who failed to provide proper supervision and control can face criminal punishment and fines.

I'd like to see that.

right, ok, wow, big deal. I did much worse when i was a teenager. Let mom and pop give'em a good slap and some "Chore" to do so they learn the lesson and done

4 hours ago, Legal Lifeline said:

Morons- fine them heavily , blacklist forever and out on a plane asap please

You never did any such thing as a young person? Really? The only human in history who never did a stupid thing as a teen? You're a personal angel of God? Legal Lifeline, what a joke. Fortunately for me I know what a qualified legal professional is, and I can tell the difference, just by your statement. It ain't you.

19 hours ago, johng said:

Hardly the crime of the century is it ?

Yes it is wrong and they should be punished...perhaps with a small fine and some community service perhaps 50 hours cleaning up rubbish in the neighbourhood

(and dog vomit with their tongues 😋 just joking )

I agree. that is an appropriate and teachable punishment. A lesson in civics and respect. I would add, fine the parents.

A stupid spur of the moment teenage boy act of stupidity. They are minors and will be dealt with in a youth court. Deportation accomplishes nothing because they are not desperate elderly punters, nor would they care. It would be a point of celebration in a teenager's mind. Having them take responsibility for their stupidity, apologizing and reimbursing for their vandalism will deal with this. Meeting their victim will impress upon them that someone was injured. They'll get the point if they are normal.

10 hours ago, Jim Waldron said:

Four foreign teenagers with no parental supervision!

Their parents need to be made aware that Thailand enforces a strict Parental Responsibility Law.

Under this Law, if a minor commits a crime (such as vandalism or public disruption), parents who failed to provide proper supervision and control can face criminal punishment and fines.

Get a grip. There is no enforcement of your magical law. If there was the Thai kids would not be racing their motorbikes or thieving. When was the last time this law was enforced?

3 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

Garbage parents with their garbage children in tow would not be surprising. Phuket now seems to be developing a generational problem of foreigners with bad behavior.

How do you know they are garbage kids? On the contrary, they look like well cared for teenagers most likely from an affluent family. They are stupid adolescent boys, not gang bangers. Boys do this.

If Phuket council put out more traffic cones and flashing roadworks lamps non of this residential vandalism would take place.

Cat "O" 9 tails, for both of them, pesky kids.