From Chiang Mai to Koh Phangan: Foreigners held for spray-paint vandalism

Chiang Mai police have arrested an Australian couple for defacing a temple wall, in the province’s Muang district in late January, by spraying graffiti on it.

The pair were identified as Joshua, 32, and Gabrielle, 27, and were taken into custody on February 6th by police. The detentions came following complaints from the abbot of Dok Eung Temple in Sriphoom sub-district.

Police said the suspects were captured on CCTV spraying black paint on the temple wall at about 1.50am on January 30th.

In the footage, the man sprayed the wall while a woman stood watch. After the incident, the two walked back to their hotel on Chaiyaphum Road, Soi 1.

Hotel staff told the police that the pair had checked in, but had since gone to Pai district in Mae Hong Son province.

Chiang Mai police coordinated with tourist and immigration police to trace their whereabouts and learned that they were staying in Pai.

On February 6, the owner of their accommodation in Pai informed police that the suspects were returning to Chiang Mai. Officers located them on a bus parked under Pa Khoi Tai Bridge on the outer ring road in San Phi Suea sub-district.

The two were brought back to Chiang Mai Muang police station, where they confessed to spraying the temple wall. They were fined under the Public Cleanliness Act and ordered to pay compensation for the damage.

The case follows a growing number of complaints from monks and residents of Chiang Mai about foreign tourists vandalising temple walls, shop doors and private property with spray paint, creating an unsightly mess and damaging the city’s image.

The abbot said that the temple wall has been vandalised several times in the past. They have had to spend tens of thousands of baht repainting the wall and installing security cameras, but the problem persists.

He urged police to throw the book at offenders to deter future vandals.

Police said patrol officers across the province have been instructed to increase awareness and track vandals down.

Meanwhile, a German tourist was detained in Bangkok after he was alleged to have defaced several public places with spray paint on Pha-ngan Island, off the coast of the southern province of Surat Thani.

The suspect was arrested on February 4 at a hotel in the Sao Chingcha area of Bangkok, after footage of his alleged vandalism was widely shared on social media, prompting an investigation.

Video clips show a foreign man roaming around the island and using spray paint to write English-language messages on public property and signs across the island.

The messages included symbolic phrases such as “FREE GAZA”, “LIBRE” and “GAZA”. Police said the man allegedly sprayed the slogans on utility poles, kilometre markers, road surfaces, rubbish bins and traffic signs, all of which are public property.

The affected agencies filed complaints and the case drew widespread public attention. Using biometric identification, investigators confirmed the man’s identity, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Investigators later learned the suspect had travelled from Pha-ngan Island to Bangkok. Immigration officers traced his movements and located him at a hotel, from where he was taken into custody.

He has been charged with causing damage to public property by defacing it.

He was transferred to Pha-ngan police station for further legal proceedings. Police added that, under the Immigration Act, foreign tourists who cause a disturbance or negatively affect local communities in tourist areas may face visa revocation.