Witnesses to a shocking incident at a Thai airport say an Australian man became so unruly he needed to be restrained by multiple police officers.
The shocking incident allegedly occurred at the popular holiday destination of Phuket on Sept. 22 when an Australian man was stopped from ordering more drinks at an airport bar.
Footage from the clash with police shows him resisting arrest while a number of officers climb on top of him — one appears to be hitting him with a baton.
A waitress working at the airport bar claimed the man was already “very drunk” and denied him any more drinks.
Shocked onlookers said the man, who was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, then stumbled out of the bar and began trying to fight other passengers waiting for their flights.
Six armed police arrived and tried to calm down the tourist but he allegedly became even more angry.
A fellow Australian who filmed the incident and shared it with Viral Press said the man appeared to be “extremely drunk”.
“I was really disappointed to see Australians or anyone for that matter behave in this way,” the witness said.
“He was extremely drunk at the bar, got cut off, and then proceeded to fight anyone who so much as looked at him.
“The Thai airport security couldn’t restrain him. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone in the history of being told to calm down has ever calmed down.”
The witness said the man was eventually restrained and held in the bathroom corridor.
“When he was on the bench in handcuffs, he would start on anyone who made eye contact. I said to him ‘you’re a flop, and an embarrassment’. He didn’t like that.
“Hopefully, he spent a night in a Thai prison as a wake up call.”
Airport staff said the tourist had been held in a cell at the airport while he sobered up. He missed his flight and was forced to rebook another.
A spokesman for the Phuket International Airport said the situation had been resolved.
“The holidaymaker in the video was drunk and aggressive. Police captured him at Gate 11,” the spokesman explained.
“He was detained until he was sober and then the situation was resolved. I can’t give details of what happened between him and the police”.