Phuket is the largest island and arguably the most popular part of Thailand with tourists. It is famous for beautiful beaches, turquoise waters and warm climate that attract visitors from all over the world. Away from the beach, Phuket also offers excellent food, unique culture and fun adventure activities.
Phuket, long a symbol of parties and freedom, is now facing an alarming reality: Soi Bangla at Bangla Road is turning into an arena of constant tourist fights. And the problem is not so much the criminals, but the visitors themselves.
Bangla Road and Soi Bangla are essentially the same location, both referring to the central area of Patong Beach, Phuket, famous for its nightlife. “Bangla Road” is the name of the main street, while “Soi Bangla” refers to the laneways or alleys that run off of it. Soi Bangla is also sometimes used more generally to refer to the entire nightlife district, including the main street and the surrounding alleys.
The main “catalyst” is uncontrolled alcohol consumption. According to Thai social networks, the police hardly intervene, allowing situations to escalate. As a result, scenes reminiscent of street fights have become commonplace.
“These conflicts, fueled by alcohol, happen almost every night. Sometimes they get out of control, because the police simply do not react,” says one of the eyewitnesses. According to him, the tourist in the white shirt, who was caught on video, repeatedly tried to start a fight.
The latest incident occurred on May 6 at about 3:30 a.m. — the footage was published the following day. The 20-second recording captures the moment when one drunk tourist attacks another. A third man appears in the frame, trying to separate them, but the aggressor does not stop and tries to continue the fight.
Locals do not hide their irritation: sometimes the police still show up to take the instigators to the station, but more often they do not. It all ends with the participants simply dispersing, and the street is again filled with fun until the next skirmish.
The police say they are aware of the problem and are trying to control the situation. However, the bars continue to work until the morning, and drunkenness has become almost the norm. This raises more and more questions among locals: what is more important — tourist reputation or safety.
