Thailand vows strict tourist oversight after public sex incidents

The pledge followed a Monday incident in Phuket where a couple was found performing a sexual act in a popular tourist area

Thailand vowed on Wednesday to tighten oversight of tourists’ behaviour after a series of incidents involving foreigners caught having sex in public, warning they damaged the country’s image.

Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian nation’s economy but foreign arrivals are yet to return to their pre-Covid highs.

Visitors displaying “inappropriate behaviour”, including illicit drug use, would face prosecution as it “contradicts the beautiful culture of Thailand”, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The pledge followed an incident on Monday evening on the southern island of Phuket where a couple was found performing a sexual act in a tuk-tuk in a popular tourist area.

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Authorities said they were working to revoke the visas of a 41-year-old Spanish man and a 43-year-old Peruvian woman, and then deport and blacklist them.

The pair admitted to the act and were charged under public indecency laws, the government statement said.