Thai PM orders tougher action on misbehaving tourists after viral Phuket case
Bangkok Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026, ordered authorities to tighten oversight and strictly enforce laws against inappropriate tourist behaviour, particularly incidents involving public…
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, ordered tougher enforcement against misbehaving tourists after a viral public indecency case in Phuket drew national attention. Through Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytalay Laksmisangchan, Anutin said authorities must strictly apply the law against conduct that disturbs the public, violates Thai cultural values or involves drugs, with no exceptions.
Patong tuk-tuk incident triggered wider scrutiny
The directive followed a May 3 incident in Patong in which a 41-year-old Spanish man, Ruben, and a 43-year-old Peruvian woman, Cynthia, were filmed engaging in a sexual act aboard a moving tuk-tuk.
Police arrested both on May 4 after the clip spread widely online. They confessed, were charged with public indecency, fined, deported immediately and blacklisted from re-entering Thailand.
Government widens focus to tourist hotspots and venues
Officials linked the order to a string of recent viral incidents, including a dine-and-dash dispute in Phuket in which two foreign tourists allegedly threw snot at a vendor and made an obscene gesture when confronted over the bill.
Cases in Pattaya also featured in the government’s response. Complaints there included multiple couples having sex in the water, a tourist injuring himself while attempting a backflip from a moving songthaew, and a foreigner attacking several Thais on Pattaya Beach after being asked to stop smoking cannabis.
Another widely shared Pattaya case involved a man claiming to be Moroccan who allegedly refused to pay a bar bill, assaulted and insulted police, exposed himself and resisted arrest. Thai media reported the incidents have pushed authorities to tighten law enforcement in tourist areas and step up checks on entertainment venues.
Thailand expects about 33.5 million foreign visitors in 2026, slightly above 2025 levels, although April arrivals fell 7%, a decline officials partly attributed to global factors including the Middle East situation.
Source: https://thephuketexpress.com/2026/05/07/prime-minister-anutin-charnvirakul-vows-stricter-enforcement-against-misbehaving-foreign-tourists-to-protect-thailands-image/
