A Mai Khao Beach dispute in Phuket drew mixed reactions online after a foreign couple was seen asking a Thai-Italian YouTuber to move while filming on the public beach.
Nawinda “Mint” Bertotti, a Thai travel blogger and actress, shared the incident during her trip to Phuket in a vlog of posted on her YouTube channel, PakMuddchannel, on Saturday, April 18.
In the video, Mint visited Mai Khao Beach, a location popular with foreign tourists for plane-spotting photoshoots. While speaking to the camera, a foreign woman accompanied by her boyfriend approached and told Mint to move.
The woman said, “Move out of our area”, and Mint replied “It’s your area? I thought it’s public space” before leaving the spot.
After the exchange, Mint told viewers that the beach is a public space and that Thai people are generally used to sharing such locations, including among content creators. She added that she had experienced similar shared use of public areas while travelling in China.
A member of Mint’s team was heard saying off-camera, “I don’t know what to do. Feeling like being chased away from my home.”
The clip prompted varied responses online. Some Thai netizens agreed with Mint’s team, saying public spaces in Thailand should be accessible to everyone and that no one should be asked to leave in such a manner. Others said the beach is open to all visitors regardless of nationality.
However, some users offered a different view, suggesting the foreign couple may not have intended to claim ownership of the area but were asking Mint to step aside for their planned photos.
Some also suggested Mint may have entered the couple’s camera frame while they were preparing a shot, adding that Mint and visitors, regardless of their nationalities, should be mindful of others in shared public spaces to avoid conflict.
The story Controversy erupts after Thai-Italian YouTuber told to move on Phuket beach as seen on Thaiger News.
