This is the disturbing moment two French restaurant owners allegedly battered their Burmese employees for being late in Thailand.

Said Idjihadi, 41, and Sofiane Redouane Hadji, 23, had hired Burmese builder Aye Min, 37, and his friends to renovate their store, Le Petit Paris, on holiday island Phuket, on January 14.

The restaurant owners were said to have insulted the workers for their tardiness, prompting the Burmese men to refuse to complete their job.

Their defiance enraged the Frenchmen, who reportedly went berserk and attacked them with sharp objects.

Shocking footage shows the restauranteurs chasing after Aye Min across the pavement. They thrashed him around before cornering him in a carpark, where one man in a black shirt brutally stomped on his head until he passed out.

Police Lieutenant Sinchai Sukkhi, deputy chief of investigation at the Patong Police Station, said police arrested the Frenchmen at their restaurant near Patong Beach at 7 pm.

He said: 'We took them to the Patong Police Station for further interrogation. They were shown the video of the alleged attack, and they both admitted they were involved.'

Aye Min and his co-worker Saw Win Tu Do, 26, suffered head injuries. They were being treated at the Patong Hospital.

Said and Sofiane were detained at the police station to face assault charges.

Under Section 295 of the Thai Criminal Code, the offense carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.

The disturbing incident is the latest involving tourists on Phuket.

The island has been marred by violence as the Thai government implemented a visa-free scheme to boost tourism revenue. But the policy has sparked outrage among locals claiming it has attracted crowds of 'low-quality' visitors to Thailand.

The rapid development and influx of millions of tourists also meant an ever-increasing amount of rubbish. The once sandy white beaches and crystal clear waters are now littered with growing piles of waste, with a staggering 1,000 tonnes of garbage hauled daily to a sprawling landfill on the island.

Locals have resorted to using air purifiers to battle the 'overpowering stench' permeating the former tropical paradise.

Suppachoke Laongphet, the Deputy Mayor of Phuket Municipality, said Phuket could be seeing a whopping 1,400 tonnes of trash per day by the end of the year.

Authorities were planning to expand the landfill and build new incinerators in efforts to make Phuket a sustainable tourist destination.