American DJ Arrested for Illegal Work in Chiang Mai

Thailand and work just don't jive IMO. I lived there for many years when I was younger. Just come in enjoy the place. Then find a place to retire once you get older, and want to settle down. Nothing special, but a lot of fun when you are younger.

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

The original owner of the cardboard couldn't find a bin either.

That was a real helpful answer to my question. Did you think of it all by yourself?

10 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

That was a real helpful answer to my question. Did you think of it all by yourself?

Anything you do which could be done by a local who would get paid for it is considered work. So picking up litter if there is a local Thai roadside cleaner...?

On 6/21/2026 at 3:01 AM, unblocktheplanet said:

Lose a lot of expert talent in many fields this way, particularly when a foreigner is volunteering.

really?? why?? People get work permits. I've been working legally in Thailand for almost 30 years.

You think all these multinational companies just setup a factory in Thailand and then let locals run the factory?

They move top personnel to run the factory.

It's not hard to get a work permit if you have a real company and you have legitimate job.

I

11 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Signs of things to come and more scrutiny for small-time entertainment workers, or a specific issue with this one?

Sign of things to come....what are you talking about?? This has always been the rule!

Every so often you hear of a guy singing or playing the drums or as in this case a DJ.

It's not like we hear this every week I've heard it maybe 5-6 times over the last 30 years.

2 hours ago, Gknrd said:

Thailand and work just don't jive IMO. I lived there for many years when I was younger. Just come in enjoy the place. Then find a place to retire once you get older, and want to settle down. Nothing special, but a lot of fun when you are younger.

Guess it depends on your work.

I work as an Engineer and never had an issue in Thailand.

I have other expat friends that work in the oil industry and manufacturing in Thailand.

Most of the guys dont ever want to go back home.

If his music is the same sort of loud noises and shouts that dj’s for the past 20 years play and an insult to our ears Jail and deport for sure.

On 6/20/2026 at 8:41 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

Highly unlikely that he wasn't being paid and tips and gratuities are what is known as pay. Foreigners working illegally do not do anything to promote local talent.

If a DJ is playing house music or old school hip hop or something that the average Thai DJ would not be familiar with or would not be capable of mixing, then there's absolutely no harm being done to local Thais. The anti foreigner work laws are draconian, xenophobic and often beyond ridiculous.

On 6/21/2026 at 9:00 AM, Woke to Sounds said:

Arresting him for just being a DJ would've been good enough.

probably was easy pickings to find .. acting as a DJ and not shattering ear drums and windows with sounds over 140 db's

definetly an occupation reserved for the locals

( ok you can all laugh now !!! )

On 6/22/2026 at 5:42 AM, wensiensheng said:

Well, you say not hard. But wouldn’t it mean the cops have to spend hours reviewing YouTube channels so as to identify those primarily filmed in Thailand and monetized?

A few AI prompts and they've got a list of very likely candidates - if they want to pursue it. AI is already incredibly good at finding and analyzing publicly available data.

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

If a DJ is playing house music or old school hip hop or something that the average Thai DJ would not be familiar with or would not be capable of mixing, then there's absolutely no harm being done to local Thais. The anti foreigner work laws are draconian, xenophobic and often beyond ridiculous.

What's that got to do with my comment about whether he's being paid or not?

On 6/21/2026 at 9:59 PM, PingRoundTheWorld said:

It's not hard - if their YouTube content is primarily filmed in Thailand their channel is monetized, then they are working in Thailand. Immigration knows who's living in Thailand and who's only visiting. You even have YouTubers openly talking about and listing their hustles. And then you have a more nefarious bunch - the "digital pimps" who produce videos for girls to get views and ad money (and in some cases also OnlyFans) - they might not appear on camera but it's work! (not to mention bordering on being porn)

When you add the DTV in to the mix it becomes more complicated. A person with a remote engineering job in another country is the type of online work they likely envisioned when they created the exception. An OnlyFans camgirl producing videos in her apartment is less clear cut. Somebody going out on location in Thailand and producing films on the street seems to me like they'd be at serious risk of being in violation of the no "working in Thailand" prohibition that comes with the visa if someday the authorities want to look at it that way. How is that any different than DJ-ing?