Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing 3,000 criminal cases apparently pending against foreign nationals here in Thailand. I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from The Phuket Express, that's thephuketexpress.com, the article is titled: Foreign Nationals Face Over 3,000 Criminal Cases in Phuket So Far This Year, Drunk Driving Tops List of Offenses. Quoting directly: "Police statistics reveal that between January 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, foreign nationals were implicated in more than 3,200 criminal cases across Phuket, showing the challenges of law enforcement in one of Thailand's busiest tourist destinations. Police told the Phuket Express that the majority of offenders were tourists, accounting for 2,223 cases with 2,394 suspects. Other categories included: 

• Businesspeople/workers: 186 cases, 208 suspects 
• Investors: 3 cases and 4 suspects 
• Others: 806 cases with 878 suspects

In total, Phuket Provincial Police recorded 3,218 cases involving 3,484 foreign suspects during the 16-month period. The most common charges show recurring issues tied to tourism and labour.

As I have talked about in other videos, again work authorization is something Thai Law enforcement takes very seriously and not for the reasons a lot of foreign nationals think they take it seriously. There's all this talk of “Oh, it’s okay as long as you are not taking a Thai job”. That’s not the issue; it is work authorization specifically. Only Thai nationals have the unfettered right to work in Thailand; that's what it comes down to that's it. That said, quoting further: 

• Drunk driving: 642 cases 
• Working without authorization: 410 cases 
• Drug-related offenses: 231 cases 
• Theft/Embezzlement: 88 cases 
• Assault: 40 cases 
• Illegal entry: 33 cases 
• Gambling: 33 cases 
• Fraud: 10 cases
• Sexual assault/indecency: 6 cases 

Among the 3,484 suspects, the largest group came from Myanmar (946 individuals) reflecting the significant migrant worker population in Phuket. Other notable nationalities included: 

• Russia: 269 suspects 
• United Kingdom: 143 suspects 
• France: 141 suspects 

So again, this isn't something that one particular nationality is engaged in, and all the others are sort of completely innocent of things. Look I mean if you will, bad actors sort of cross-nationalities; it's not something that is just confined to one particular set of foreign nationals here in Thailand.

That said, the reason I made this video and the reason I'm quoting that is to highlight the seriousness or I should say how seriously Thai Law enforcement takes these issues especially as it pertains to working illegally in Thailand. And, in light of this massive influx of criminal cases - I mean these are numbers we never saw before in terms of the foreign community in Thailand.  I mean 3,000 cases in what, 14 months. Only in Phuket by the way, that's not nationwide. So in the aggregate nationwide, it has to be I would think, probably triple that. I can't say that for certain, but I would think, just based on the fact of how many foreign nationals are in Bangkok, how many foreign nationals are in Pattaya, places like Chiang Mai and things, I would think it would be substantially more than just that number; again hard to tell. 

That being said, the thing to take away from this video especially acutely is if you are looking to come to Thailand to engage in work activity, and you know what that means, don't play with that, don't sort of try to fudge what it is you're doing. But if you're really coming to Thailand to work, it's a very good idea to get work authorization before coming or before engaging in employment activity here in the Kingdom of Thailand.