PHUKET: A Dutch woman who became the victim of a young female snatch-and-ride raider on Phuket last night has told police that it won't destroy her love for Phuket.

''I have been coming to Phuket for 12 years now and I will keep coming back until I can no longer catch a plane,'' said Monica Van Rossum as Phuket police sought her two assailants.

Ms Van Rossum, 66, told officers at Chalong Police Station today that she and her husband had been out to dinner last night in the Phuket west coast holiday destination of Karon.

''We were walking along Patak Road just before midnight,'' she told officers. ''I noticed this young girl behind us with short hair, and wearing short shorts.''

As the couple passed through a poorly lit part of the road, the girl swooped, Ms Van Rossum said.

''She grabbed my shoulder bag and before we knew it, she had jumped onto the back of a motorcycle and was gone towards Karon.''

The Phuket thieves escaped with 5000 baht in cash, a mobile telephone and the key to the couple's room at a resort in Karon. But they could not rob Ms Van Rossum of her affection for Phuket.

''I have been coming to Phuket every years now for 12 years,'' she said. ''This kind of thing is bad luck.

''It could happen to anyone, anywhere. I aim to keep on coming back to Phuket.''

Snatch-and-ride incidents on Phuket usually rise when times are tough and locals find themselves short of cash.