The detention on May 19 was preceded by a publication on social media.

A foreigner's long-term visa was canceled for antisocial behavior. Phuket Immigration Bureau officers and Chalong Police Station officers arrested a foreigner residing in Rawai for repeated public intoxication, including extortion and threats against local residents. The arrest on May 19 was preceded by a publication on social media. In a statement from the Phuket Public Relations Department (PR Phuket), the foreigner is identified as Rafael, a 39-year-old Austrian citizen. Speaking about his detention, officials referred to the head of the Immigration Bureau's order to "take action against foreign citizens whose actions violate public norms and undermine the tourist image." PR Phuket quotes the following social media post: "Locals are tired of putting up with this. An Austrian citizen is creating problems in Rawai: driving a scooter dangerously, blocking traffic, extorting money, intimidating residents while drunk." In particular, the news page KomchadluekOfficial published a video of the Austrian's behavior and previous detention with this text. PR Phuket also mentions the detention that took place before May 19. "It has been established that this foreign citizen received permission to temporarily stay in the Kingdom of Thailand and a student visa for the purpose of studying Thai language and culture." The individual was found to have consumed alcoholic beverages or other substances to the point of losing self-control, engaged in provocative behavior in public places, threatened those around him, and caused disturbance and inconvenience to others, according to a statement from PR Phuket. "After being given a warning, no further action was taken, and within a short period of time, similar violations were committed again. As a result, after repeated violations, a decision was made to cancel the residence permit of Austrian citizen Mr. Raphael (surname not disclosed), 39 years old, with subsequent deportation procedures in accordance with Article 54 of the Immigration Act," officials added. This case is the first public case of cancellation of a long-term visa due to antisocial behavior. Previous cases reported by Phuket News this year involved tourists (@see here, here and here). Photo: PR Phuket / Phuket Immigration