‘Gone too far’: Thai PM Anutin slams foreign lawbreakers as backlash builds

Anutin says foreigners "should not come here and take advantage of us", as Thailand acts to close legal loopholes and deter transgressions.

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at Government House in Bangkok on May 28, 2026. The prime minister has recently issued a withering rebuke to foreigners behaving badly in Thailand following a wave of scandals. (Photo: AFP/ Lillian Suwanrumpha)

BANGKOK: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has issued a withering rebuke to foreigners behaving badly in Thailand following a wave of scandals involving illegal businesses and landholdings including a cemetery, saying the cases have “gone too far” by breaching Thai law and hospitality.

Facing mounting public backlash against illegal foreign ownership of swathes of the country enabled by endemic corruption, Anutin’s government has halved the visa-free entry period to 30 days for most countries and fast-tracked deportation proceedings against criminals.