Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Anutin Charnvirakul urged officials in Phuket to get tougher with misbehaving foreigners on the island. He said it was time to stop being considerate. Mr Anutin called for revoking the visa of any foreigner who harasses locals to make a living. His comments came a day after an Austrian tourist, 58-year-old Gernot Kuhberger, attacked his limousine driver after being told he could not smoke. The tourist had just arrived at Phuket International Airport. At length, he was being taken to his accommodation on the island.
 

Minister of the Interior Anutin expresses fury at foreign misconduct in Phuket. Calls for firmness and less leniency. The senior government minister calls for a decisive crackdown on lawbreaking expats and tourists. Time for strict enforcement including visa revocation against anyone who harasses local people.

On Thursday, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed anger at the misbehaviour of foreigners in Phuket. Deputy Prime Minister Anutin described the current outbreak of lawbreaking by foreigners on the island including tourists and expats, as insulting to the Thai people. At length, he urged local police officials to get tough. He said it was time to stop being so considerate of law-breaking foreigners.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, on Thursday, saw red about legal transgressions by foreigners in Phuket.  

 

In short, he expressed his annoyance at what he termed the insulting behaviour of foreigners on the holiday island.

 

The deputy PM, in turn, urged a firmer stance on maintaining law and order in Phuket. At length, he insisted all people in Thailand, including foreigners, must respect the law.

 

The Bhumjaithai Party leader’s outrage stems from a multitude of recent incidents in Phuket since February. 

 

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 

Full story: Thai Examiner.com 2024-04-05

 

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I wouldn't want to put a foot wrong in Phuket if I was living there.  The officials are likely to be on a war path. 

 

You daren't even look at some strangely  for fear of upsetting them.  Walking on eggshells comes to mind. 

 

However if you are a law abiding individual it 'shouldn't' be a problem.   Time will tell 

We wouldn’t put up with foreigners/ tourists or locals behaving like animals in our own country would we?  It’s true things are getting well out of hand in Phuket, and maybe other areas too ? News seems to be focusing on Phuket.  I believe that foreign proven criminals should be sent home. No wasting money locking them up, deport with a big red stamp in their passport.

Id love to know what is the reason so many come here to thieve/ deal / be violent ?

22 minutes ago, geisha said:

We wouldn’t put up with foreigners/ tourists or locals behaving like animals in our own country would we?  It’s true things are getting well out of hand in Phuket, and maybe other areas too ? News seems to be focusing on Phuket.  I believe that foreign proven criminals should be sent home. No wasting money locking them up, deport with a big red stamp in their passport.

Id love to know what is the reason so many come here to thieve/ deal / be violent ?

You been in a Western Country recently mate? 
 

As an aside, everyone should be treated equally under the law, so if a foreigner commits an actual offence then they should be punished but they should also be treated fairly under the law and not subject to prejudice and presumptions of guilt. All of which is above Anutins head as he just likes to go on occasional parochial rants to distract from his own myriad failings 🙂 

Edited April 4, 20242 yr by sandrew33

Is about time , Too many idiot expats in Thailand nowadays

11 minutes ago, sandrew33 said:

You been in a Western Country recently mate? 
 

As an aside, everyone should be treated equally under the law, so if a foreigner commits an actual offence then they should be punished but they should also be treated fairly under the law and not subject to prejudice and presumptions of guilt. All of which is above Anutins head as he just like you go on occasional parochial rants to distract from his own myriad failings 🙂 

Does not apply in Australia, when i used to ride home from work on my old hog, i could see police on side of Hwy, im doing speed limit or under, cars flying by me but they pull me over, i ask them why and they call me smart arse, Victorias finest Dip<deleted>s, at least in Thailand the police are fair and treat you like a human being

how about getting tough on everyone who breaks the law

 

this idiot can't seem to grasp that foreigners are what this country needs - now more so that ever

 

sack this belligerent # before he does more damage

 

I honestly can't figure out how they don't realise that like it or not, we (filthy foreigners) make up 30% of GDP, might be a bit less recently, what is wrong with this idiot, is he so rich he doesn't give a #, well that is probaby 100% correct 

5 minutes ago, 1sickpuppy said:

my old hog

bare back ?

 

no wonder they pulled yah ......... onk onk

Yep, a bad element of Russians is certainly messing it up for everyone else.

Oh that's nice.  

I'm sure great things will come of this. Not.

 

Get your own house in order first Thailand.

The Hub of the blame game.

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 20242 yr by quake

45 minutes ago, sandrew33 said:

You been in a Western Country recently mate?

 

Not since early February 2019. However, I do know that if I compared downtown Rayong with downtown San Francisco, it would be the latter that appeared to be a Third World city, not Rayong. 

Im told that All Jazzera ran an article on Russians in Thailand could have been Phuket were they have made a web site showing the kinds of business's that they can do in Thailand, but I cant seem to find it, maybe one of you guys are smarter than me at finding it

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Minister of the Interior Anutin expresses fury at foreign misconduct in Phuket. Calls for firmness and less leniency. The senior government minister calls for a decisive crackdown on lawbreaking expats and tourists. Time for strict enforcement including visa revocation against anyone who harasses local people.

More badges than brains...

1 hour ago, geisha said:

We wouldn’t put up with foreigners/ tourists or locals behaving like animals in our own country would we?  It’s true things are getting well out of hand in Phuket, and maybe other areas too ? News seems to be focusing on Phuket.  I believe that foreign proven criminals should be sent home. No wasting money locking them up, deport with a big red stamp in their passport.

Id love to know what is the reason so many come here to thieve/ deal / be violent ?

Agreed, the latest episode of a passenger getting angry after being told he can't smoke in a taxi and attacking the driver.

Simply take him back to the airport and put him on the next flight home.

1 hour ago, geisha said:

We wouldn’t put up with foreigners/ tourists or locals behaving like animals in our own country would we?

In the UK we'd put up with them, welcome them with open arms and blame the locals for being racist when they dare complain about their antics.

Well, clearly law enforcement in this country isn't what it should be. And Yes, they should enforce the law equally on everyone. But they don't.

 

Inequality is a characteristic of feudal societies.

 

In any case, we don't really have grounds for saying they shouldn't enforce the law on misbehaving visitors including us. Do the deed, take the punishment.

 

 

But do not get tough on thias, breaking the same laws... xenophobic... double standards... from a minister... 555

Edited April 4, 20242 yr by Aussie999

Bloody wayward foreigners, hog tie and horse whip them!

This DPM talking about insulting to Thai people is a sure sign there is no way back 🤔 

I would imagine you cannot smoke in a taxi anywhere in the world these days, the police should have taken him straight back to the airport and put him on the next plane, simple as that

Edited April 5, 20242 yr by ChipButty

45 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

Yep, a bad element of Russians is certainly messing it up for everyone else.

What about the Brits, Swiss, Germans, Poles and Americans? Seems you forgot quite a few that seem to be making the news and the officials happy to seek out more. Even the small things they are clamping down on. Frustration on all sides I guess. But this guy Anutin speaks more against foreigners when locals get away with so much. If caught working the law says the boss is supposed to be fined a lot. But i never read about what happened to the employer unless they are foreigner. When a foreigner is entangled in something illicit with Thai. I rarely see anything in news about what the police did to the Thai for punishment. Usually, only the foreigner gets the brunt 

1 hour ago, geisha said:

We wouldn’t put up with foreigners/ tourists or locals behaving like animals in our own country would we?  It’s true things are getting well out of hand in Phuket, and maybe other areas too ? News seems to be focusing on Phuket.  I believe that foreign proven criminals should be sent home. No wasting money locking them up, deport with a big red stamp in their passport.

Id love to know what is the reason so many come here to thieve/ deal / be violent ?

Easy, corrupt cops rule in Thailand and they're the crims best friend, as long as the RTP palms are getting greased.

Old European sociopaths are at it again…

Don't get tough with corrupt RTP, don't get tough with corrupt immigration agents, and customs agents, don't get tough with Highway Patrol who absolutely refuse to patrol the highway, don't get tough with corrupt officials in the army or in the administration.

 

Save all your ire for those evil foreigners. 

12 minutes ago, 2baht said:

Bloody wayward foreigners, hog tie and horse whip them!

I've mentioned this before, and I guess it hasn't sunk in. Every time you downgrade foreigners, even in jest, it makes all of us look bad, although most of us aren't, abide by the laws, treat their women well, and spend a lot of money here. You're an expat I believe, and your comments are ignorant. Thais read this forum, and when a farang trashes another farang, they think, "see, even farangs think farangs are no good". Think!

With near daily occurrences of misbehaving tourists/foreigners in Phuket, there's no doubt they have to take action. But again I wonder, how are they gonna do this without hampering the lives of the many good and decent foreigners coming here and those of us calling los our home? Increased screening will most certainly make obtaining and extending visas both more cumbersome and, probably, more expensive as well. Revoking the visas of perpetrators is all good and well, but it doesn't really prevent any incidents from happening..

Edited April 5, 20242 yr by Excogitator

2 minutes ago, thesetat said:

What about the Brits, Swiss, Germans, Poles and Americans? Seems you forgot quite a few that seem to be making the news and the officials happy to seek out more. Even the small things they are clamping down on. Frustration on all sides I guess. But this guy Anutin speaks more against foreigners when locals get away with so much. If caught working the law says the boss is supposed to be fined a lot. But i never read about what happened to the employer unless they are foreigner. When a foreigner is entangled in something illicit with Thai. I rarely see anything in news about what the police did to the Thai for punishment. Usually, only the foreigner gets the brunt 

The smarter Ruskys are too clever, they know whose palms to grease as it's the same deal in Russia.

Back it in they're becoming part of the underworld machinery in Phuket as well as other places here, same with the Chinese in Cambodia and Laos

4 hours ago, webfact said:

On Thursday, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed anger at the misbehaviour of foreigners rogue taxi drivers in Phuket who were damaging the image of Thailand with impunity.

 

There. Fixed it.

2 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

You're an expat I believe, and your comments are ignorant.

As is you sense of humor, Chill Fred, chill! 

 

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

  "see, even farangs think farangs are no good". Think!

Some aren't as for the readership, I think most will even see the funny side of my comments! Chill Fred, chill!

 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Time for strict enforcement including visa revocation against anyone who harasses local people.

Don't argue when they try and price gauge you or you will have your visa revoked.

 

You not pay I get Poleet cancen wisa you

Edited April 5, 20242 yr by mokwit