PM Anutin Orders Governors to Speed Up Deportation of Lawbreaking Foreigners

During a nationwide video conference with provincial governors and district officials, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul instructed them to use their full legal authority against foreign residents who commit crimes, exploit or intimidate Thai citizens, or otherwise abuse their welcome. He said officials should move straight to deportation rather than waiting for a case to work through the Thai courts, arguing that keeping such offenders in the country drains public resources, and he pledged that the government would cover the costs of removals and any legal appeals that follow. The directive builds on the Prime Minister’s Office deportation regulation Anutin signed on August 26, which took effect on August 28. Two foreign residents of Koh Samui have already been ordered out under it in early September: an Israeli man given a suspended sentence for making threats, and the French co-owner of a local zoo accused of threatening and abusive behaviour. Governors were also told to look into nominee company arrangements, illegal landholding, and unauthorized foreign-run businesses as part of the broader crackdown.