Koh Phangan: Police arrest 89 foreigners in bar raid

Police on the Thai island of Koh Phangan have arrested 89 foreigners during a raid on a bar that was flouting coronavirus restrictions.

Those arrested were from more than 10 countries, including the UK and the US.

Thailand is currently under an emergency decree with restrictions on mass gatherings.

The country has recorded 15,465 cases and 76 deaths, far fewer than Western nations. However, cases have been on the rise in recent weeks.

There have been 29 cases in Surat Thani province, where Koh Phangan is located, since the pandemic began, but 11 of those have been in the past month.

Police raided the Three Sixty Bar on Tuesday night after discovering tickets were being sold online to an event there, local media reports.

Images from the raid show a large crowd of people inside the bar, mostly wearing face masks.

Police said 22 Thais were also arrested including the bar's owner and another man who admitted to organising the gathering.

The bar owner and the organiser were charged with colluding in operating an entertainment venue without permission, while the attendees were charged with violating the emergency decree.