PHUKET — A Spanish man and a Peruvian woman have been arrested, blacklisted and deported after being filmed engaging in oral sex aboard a moving tuk-tuk in Patong, an incident that has drawn widespread criticism and renewed concerns about inappropriate tourist behaviour in Thailand’s most famous beach destination.

Foreign Tourists Filmed in Obscene Act in Moving Taxi in Phuket

The 41-year-old Spanish man and 43-year-old Peruvian woman were captured on video committing the sexual act on Sunday as the open-air tuk-tuk travelled through the busy streets of tambon Patong, Kathu district. The footage, which quickly circulated on social media, showed the couple making no effort to conceal their actions despite being visible to passing motorists, pedestrians and other tourists.

Police interrogated the couple on Monday night, and both confessed to the act recorded in the video. They were formally charged with public indecency, an offence that carries potential fines and imprisonment under Thai law. Immigration police then took the additional step of revoking their permission to stay in the kingdom, placing them on a blacklist and deporting them from Thailand. They are now barred from re-entering the country.

PHUKET: Police have deported a Spanish man and a Peruvian woman after they were sexually inappropriate in a tuk-tuk, earlier this week.

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The swift response — arrest, charges, blacklisting and deportation within 48 hours of the incident — reflects the zero-tolerance approach that Thai authorities have signalled toward public indecency, particularly in high-profile tourist zones such as Patong, where the local economy depends heavily on maintaining a family-friendly image.

Russian citizen arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport for indecent behaviour on a pick-up in Phuket

While the tuk-tuk driver may not have been aware of the act or may have felt unable to intervene, the incident has raised questions about whether drivers have a responsibility to prevent such behaviour in their vehicles. For now, the focus remains on the two tourists who chose a moving tuk-tuk as their stage. They have now learned that Thailand’s tolerance for public indecency is zero, and the price of a few minutes of reckless abandon is a permanent ban from one of the world’s most visited countries. Their holiday is over, and they will not be coming back.

-Thailand News (TN)