Phuket: The Prime Minister has ordered stricter enforcement of laws against tourists engaging in inappropriate behavior that violates Thai law. Meanwhile, the Immigration Bureau has ordered the deportation of a foreign couple for indecent acts on a tuk-tuk in Patong, and is preparing to blacklist them from re-entering the country.

According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Ploytalay Laksmisangchan, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that a video circulating on social media showed inappropriate behavior by a foreign tourist couple engaging in indecent acts on a tuk-tuk in a public area in Patong Subdistrict, Kathu District, Phuket Province. This occurred in the early morning of May 3rd. Local police, in cooperation with the Patong Police Station's investigative team, conducted a thorough investigation and apprehended the two individuals on the night of May 4th at 8:30 PM. They were identified as Mr. Ruben, 41, a Spanish national, and Mrs. Cynthia, 43, a Peruvian national.

Following the initial investigation and being shown photographic evidence, both confessed to being the individuals in the video. The officers then took them to the investigating officer to be charged with "jointly committing an act that is likely to cause embarrassment in public, by exposing or revealing the body, or committing other indecent acts." Legal procedures have been followed, and fines have been paid.

Ms. Ploytalay stated that the latest development is that the Phuket Immigration Office determined the actions constituted an immoral act, violated Thai customs, and severely impacted the image of Phuket's world-class tourism. They have enforced immigration laws decisively, deporting both tourists and gathering evidence to place them on a blacklist to prevent them from re-entering and causing further damage to Thailand's reputation.

'Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed relevant agencies to strictly monitor tourists at various tourist destinations to maintain Thailand's tourism image and build confidence among tourists worldwide. Tourists exhibiting inappropriate behavior or causing disturbance to the public and other tourists must be prosecuted strictly according to the law, without exception, especially those engaging in behavior that violates Thailand's fine cultural values and is related to drug use,' Ms. Ploytalay said.