About 100 angry family and friends mobbed Phuket’s Thalang Police Station this afternoon after two young men were killed in a crash as police pursued them over drugs allegations.
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The protest turned violent late Saturday and lasted until order was restored early Sunday.
The protest occurred outside the island’s main tourist areas at Thalang police station, where a crowd that swelled to more than 300 people blocked the road.
The angry protesters also damaged the sign in front of the police station.
About 700 police officers and military personnel have been dispatched from nearby Krabi and Phang Nga for reinforcement at the police station in Thalang, local news site Phuketwan reported.
Phuket police Lt Col Amnuay Kraiwuttinan said: “They threw things to break the windows first, then they threw fire bombs at the police station and we had to move inside”. It was a riot.
“They torched 9 cars – 14 officials were injured and as well as two villagers injured”, he said, adding 4 policemen have been shifted from their duties to calm the situation.
Phutket Governor Chamreon Tipayapongthada has said that whoever is behind damaging police property will be punished and will face a fine.
Police were investigating the deaths of the two young Thai men, who were 17 and 22 years old.
Police gave chase on a pick-up truck, according to the Bangkok Post. Relatives of the dead, who led the crowd to the police station, accused the police of using excessive force. The Phuket Police Commander was at the scene.
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Prawut Thawornsiri, the police spokesman, posted on Twitter that four police officers who were involved in the incident had been transferred to the Region 8 Provincial Police headquarters, pending investigation.
