The incident went viral after photos and videos of the fight were posted online on Monday (Aug 12).
The images shared online were reportedly taken from a TikTok video uploaded by a user named "phuketinsta", said a report by the national state news agency NNT, through its ‘NBT Connext’ website.
Further investigation by Phuket Tourist Police led them to Karon Beach, where they interviewed a local parasailing operator who was present during the altercation, said the report.
The report named the local parasailing operator only as ‘Mr Boat’.
Mr Boat explained that the incident began when a group of tourists agreed to a parasailing ride for B2,000, but refused to pay upfront. The tourists claimed they would pay after the ride, as they had only B1,000 on hand.
Mr Boat agreed to provide the rides first and let the tourists pay later.
However, after the tourists finished the ride, they complained that the ride was too short and refused to pay, saying it wasn’t what they had expected.
Mr Boat then took out his phone to photograph each guest, intending to warn other operators about the tourists.
When he reached the last person, that tourist gave him the middle finger and knocked the phone out of his hand.
This led to the scuffle seen in the video. However, no legal action was taken, and the operator only warned other business owners to be cautious, said the report.
According to the report, the incident highlighted potential communication issues and misunderstandings between tourists and locals, especially in popular tourist destinations like Phuket.
Local authorities are continuing to monitor the situation to prevent similar occurrences, the report added.
Of note, the report of the incident posted on the national state news platform ‘NBT Connext’ was marked as provided by the Phuket branch of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket). However, none of the PR Phuket media channels have posted any reports of the incident.