PHUKET – Phuket immigration authorities have revoked the visa of a 39-year-old Austrian man and ordered him deported after he repeatedly harassed local residents while drunk in the Rawai area.
Police and immigration officers took action on Tuesday after a video widely shared online showed an intoxicated man riding a motorcycle while blocking traffic and aggressively demanding money from people.
Investigators found that the suspect, identified only as Raphael, had entered the kingdom on a temporary student visa, ostensibly to study Thai language and culture. He had previously received a warning for similar behaviour but reoffended shortly afterwards, they said.
Immigration officials said his conduct — public intoxication, harassment and intimidation — was damaging to public order, Thai cultural values, and the country’s tourism image.
His permission to remain in the kingdom has been revoked and he is being expelled from Thailand, they said.
