A Russian tourist rented a motorcycle in Phuket, Thailand, and engaged in off-road riding. During the activity, the motorcycle lost control and slid down a hillside, resulting in damage to the motorcycle and drawing criticism from Thai netizens.
Thailand's Phuket Times shared a video on its Facebook page on Monday (11th), showing a foreigner using a rented scooter motorcycle on an off-road track in Phuket. This scooter motorcycle was not designed for off-road use.
The video shows the foreign man wearing white clothes, riding what appears to be a red Yamaha XMAX motorcycle on a dirt road.
He attempted to ride up a steep rocky slope but failed to reach the top. Afterwards, another foreign man came forward and tried to push the motorcycle up the hill but was also unsuccessful.
The man then tried to ride the motorcycle through a narrow section of the hillside, but during the process lost control, causing the motorcycle to roll downhill. In the process, some parts of the motorcycle fell off, resulting in obvious damage to the vehicle.
The video also shows several foreign riders and off-road motorcycle enthusiasts standing by and watching the incident unfold.
At the end of the video, the rider shows the damage to the motorcycle and the marks left on the dirt road after attempting the ride.
This video sparked a strong backlash from Thai netizens. Many accused the rider of reckless behavior and of damaging property that did not belong to him.
Some netizens questioned whether the foreign rider would compensate the motorcycle rental company for the damages caused.
Others speculated that the rider might simply abandon the damaged motorcycle before leaving Thailand. Some also pointed out that many motorcycle rental companies in tourist areas no longer retain visitors' passports when signing rental agreements.
Several commenters urged the police to investigate the matter and to identify the rider involved. As of now, the police have not announced any actions related to the incident, and the owner of the damaged motorcycle has not made any public comments.