A WILD, fist-swinging brawl involving a group of Australians holidaying in Patong has raised concern that cheap package tours are bringing the wrong kind of tourists to Phuket.
The brawl in a nightclub involved between four and six burly men who could not be controlled by local Thai security staff, and who apparently enjoyed fighting each other.
Three Thais were king-hit by the Australians as they fought. The bannister of a staircase and large decorative pots were wrecked during the fighting.
The ''battle of Patong'' took place in the early hours of Anzac Day, a solemn holiday when Australians and New Zealanders remember those who fought and died in two world wars, Korea, Vietnam and other combat.
Fighting cleared the nightclub of about 40 patrons. The owners spoke to Phuketwan but were reluctant to have the nightclub named out of fear that others might not want to go there, or trouble-makers might seek to repeat the brawl.
But Australia's honorary consul, Larry Cunningham, told Phuketwan it was a disturbing incident that highlighted a growing problem associated with low fares.
Most of the men escaped and fled the country immediately, abandoning one Australian in jail so drunk that he could not be roused until 11.30am.
His ''friends'' dumped his luggage at the local police station on the way to the airport to catch the flight back to Sydney.
"They were totally out of control and it was a full-on brawl," Cunningham said.
"The chief of police said to me: 'What is it about you Aussies that when you drink, you always have to fight?' "
The brawl was also reported on May 11 in an article in a widely-read Australian newspaper, The Sunday Age, under the heading: 'Booze and bogans a potent cocktail for ugly Aussies abroad.'
"Considering it happened on Anzac Day, it was not a good look," Cunningham told the newspaper.
Direct flights are carrying a record number of Australians to Phuket, with deals involving fares and a week's accommodation available for as little as the equivalent of 32,000 baht.
While most Australian visitors are well-behaved, Cunningham is concerned that some see Phuket as a great place to go to misbehave in ways they would not consider doing at home.
In an extensive interview with Phuketwan earlier this year he highlighted some of the foolishness and crime that has dramatically increased his workload.
Other consuls report similar problems.
Official figures show Australians topped the list of overseas visitors to Phuket in 2007 (345,641 up 31 percent) followed by Britons (282,309 up 34 percent) and Swedes (228,746 up 6.3 percent).
Then came Korea, Germany and China. Russians provided a surge, up 40.7 percent to 122,419.
More reports:
Rapes, Drugs, Jet-ski Wipeouts: Harrowing Life for Consuls
Sustainability Debate as Aussies Come in Droves
The brawl in a nightclub involved between four and six burly men who could not be controlled by local Thai security staff, and who apparently enjoyed fighting each other.
Three Thais were king-hit by the Australians as they fought. The bannister of a staircase and large decorative pots were wrecked during the fighting.
The ''battle of Patong'' took place in the early hours of Anzac Day, a solemn holiday when Australians and New Zealanders remember those who fought and died in two world wars, Korea, Vietnam and other combat.
Fighting cleared the nightclub of about 40 patrons. The owners spoke to Phuketwan but were reluctant to have the nightclub named out of fear that others might not want to go there, or trouble-makers might seek to repeat the brawl.
But Australia's honorary consul, Larry Cunningham, told Phuketwan it was a disturbing incident that highlighted a growing problem associated with low fares.
Most of the men escaped and fled the country immediately, abandoning one Australian in jail so drunk that he could not be roused until 11.30am.
His ''friends'' dumped his luggage at the local police station on the way to the airport to catch the flight back to Sydney.
"They were totally out of control and it was a full-on brawl," Cunningham said.
"The chief of police said to me: 'What is it about you Aussies that when you drink, you always have to fight?' "
The brawl was also reported on May 11 in an article in a widely-read Australian newspaper, The Sunday Age, under the heading: 'Booze and bogans a potent cocktail for ugly Aussies abroad.'
"Considering it happened on Anzac Day, it was not a good look," Cunningham told the newspaper.
Direct flights are carrying a record number of Australians to Phuket, with deals involving fares and a week's accommodation available for as little as the equivalent of 32,000 baht.
While most Australian visitors are well-behaved, Cunningham is concerned that some see Phuket as a great place to go to misbehave in ways they would not consider doing at home.
In an extensive interview with Phuketwan earlier this year he highlighted some of the foolishness and crime that has dramatically increased his workload.
Other consuls report similar problems.
Official figures show Australians topped the list of overseas visitors to Phuket in 2007 (345,641 up 31 percent) followed by Britons (282,309 up 34 percent) and Swedes (228,746 up 6.3 percent).
Then came Korea, Germany and China. Russians provided a surge, up 40.7 percent to 122,419.
More reports:
Rapes, Drugs, Jet-ski Wipeouts: Harrowing Life for Consuls
Sustainability Debate as Aussies Come in Droves
As an Australian I agree that Aussies are not the best tourists I wanted in my restaurant/bar in Patong. They don't tip and, worse, they want to split the bill. But in six years I didn't see any evidence that they were more violent then anyone else. Considering the amount of booze consumed in Patong it is almost violence free.
Posted by Patong Bob on May 18, 2008 17:52