Canadians, take note: Thailand to strictly enforce laws on inappropriate behaviour
Canadians planning trips to Thailand soon should take note, as officials have moved to strictly enforce local laws.
According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand is stepping up enforcement efforts as the country deals with inappropriate tourist behaviour. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul vowed that the authorities would be stricter after several incidents that involved tourists having sex in public, adding that such incidents could damage the country’s image.
Tourists caught engaging in behaviour that violates local laws will be subject to penalties under Thai law. Authorities have been dealing with an increasing number of cases.
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Recent incidents include public indecency in Pattaya beach when allegedly intoxicated couples appeared to be having sex despite witnesses telling them to stop.
In another incident, netizens were outraged when a video emerged of a French couple engaging in sexual activity on a public tuk-tuk. The couple was charged with committing an obscene act in public by exposing their bodies or engaging in lewd behaviour in the presence of the public. Their visas were revoked, and they were each fined 5,000 baht (around C$211).
In Phuket, a Spanish man and a Peruvian woman were deported after allegedly being sexually inappropriate in a moving tuk-tuk. In Chon Buri, a tourist was injured after attempting to backflip on the roof bars of a moving public taxi. Witnesses claim that the man appeared intoxicated.
Charnvirakul’s spokesperson said that tourists engaging in inappropriate behaviour or disturbing the public must be “prosecuted strictly according to the law, without exception,” especially if it violates Thailand’s cultural values and drug laws, reported the Bangkok Post.
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Thailand Business News reports that Thailand welcomed 32.97 million visitors in 2025, a decrease of 7.23 per cent from the previous year.
Despite attracting millions of travellers, Thailand continues to grapple with the costs associated with tourism-related incidents.
The country is now considering making travel insurance mandatory for visitors.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand absorbs around 10 million Thai baht, or around C$432,000, each year in unpaid hospital bills from uninsured foreign patients. Most incidents occur in Phuket and Chiang Mai, with most incidents linked to alcohol or drug use, as well as inexperienced tourists riding motorcycles, often for the first time.