Hua Hin City Municipality has issued another public warning against graffiti artists after a well-known local street artist was once again reprimanded by officials.
In a post published on its official Facebook page on Friday 13 June, the municipality said it was responding to fresh reports of individuals defacing public areas and official signs with paint.
Municipal inspectors said they had swiftly tracked down the offenders and were taking steps to ensure they acknowledged their wrongdoing and carried out corrective actions.
“We kindly request everyone’s cooperation in maintaining cleanliness, as the affected areas are government premises and public spaces, as well as key tourist attractions in Hua Hin, serving as communal spaces for the general public,” the municipality said in its post.
“We therefore urge all citizens to help keep these areas clean and refrain from writing, drawing, spraying paint, or engaging in any other actions that may harm the city’s image.”
While the municipality did not name the individual involved, the post included a photo of a man who appeared to be the street artist known as Joe in discussion with municipal officials.
The warning comes just four months after Joe was first ordered to remove his eye-shaped graffiti and stickers, which had been pasted across various locations in Hua Hin.
In February, the artist was told to remove his graffiti from public property — starting with school gates and extending across other sites — after a series of complaints. He signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipality to clean up the graffiti and was fined ฿5,000.
The case gained wider attention after the artist placed one of his eye stickers inside the mouth of a new municipal statue, the “Shark Fighter”, near the beach. The statue was later found to have several broken teeth, though Joe denied causing the damage.
The incident sparked mixed reactions online. While some residents described the graffiti as vandalism, others defended it as a form of art and started a petition on Change.org, which attracted more than 600 signatures calling for the artwork to remain.
However, since then, the municipality is understood to have received multiple new complaints about further eye graffiti appearing around the city.
Last month, a video circulated on social media showing an angry local resident confronting a man, believed to be Joe, as he was seen spraying graffiti on a wall.
The municipality has reiterated its appeal for all citizens to help maintain public spaces, warning that unauthorised graffiti may damage Hua Hin’s image as a leading tourist destination.
Images: เทศบาลนครหัวหิน
