Thai police arrest 89 tourists in Koh Phangan bar flouting Covid laws

Thai immigration officers break up the party on Koh Phangan island. Photo / Supplied, Police Investigation Team of Surat Thani Immigration via AP

Over 100 people have been arrested in a police raid on the Thai island of Koh Phangan during a party which was in breach of Covid-19 laws.

Thailand is currently under an emergency decree banning mass gatherings.

Those arrested on Tuesday night include almost ninety tourists from 10 different nationalities, including UK, Swiss, Danish and Americans. The venue was named as the Three Sixty Bar by The Bangkok Post, who said police were made aware of the event after finding tickets being sold online.

The Island beaches of Koh Phangan are known for their Full Moon parties for international guests. Photo / Adam Schreck

Photos of the raid distributed by police showed a dark, crowded room with casually dressed partygoers, almost all wearing face masks.

22 Thai nationals including the bar owner were also arrested in the raid.

The gathering was illegal under the emergency laws brought in last March, said Col. Suparerk Pankosol, superintendent of the provincial immigration office. Those found in breach of the anti-Covid measures can be fined up to 40,000 baht ($1800) and handed a sentence of up to two years in prison.

Fines and jail sentences have already been handed to foreign attendees. In a trial conducted over video link, each defendant has been given a suspended sentence of a month in prison - conditional on "good behaviour". The Judge also issued fines of $185 to partygoers.

Photos from local police show mostyl masked tourists inside the bar. Photo / Supplied, Police Investigation Team of Surat Thani Immigration via AP

The event organiser Pongdaran Limochakul said that there had been some mistake.

"I thought Surat Thani province was in the COVID-19 green zone. We didn't have any new cases for 14 days. So I thought we were allowed to organise an activity," he told Associated Press.

The Three Sixty Bar which was a popular hangout for international tourists was celebrating its fifth anniversary, which had been widely advertised on social media.

Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province is a popular destination for young backpacking travelers and is known especially for its all-night Full Moon beach parties. However, Thailand has barred virtually all tourists from entering the country since last April.

Social media posts tipped off police to the party. Photo / Screenshot

The Surat Thani province in which the island is located has suffered 29 cases of coronavirus, with 11 happening in the past month.

- With additional reporting by Associated Press