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Emergency numbers useful contacts in Thailand

When you are traveling in Thailand as a foreigner, it can be confusing to know which number to call in an emergency. It is not as simple as just calling one number for everything (like you may be used to in your own country). Fortunately, we have compiled a list of all the useful contacts that you may need whilst in Thailand.

English-speaking operators can be hit or miss. If you are having difficulty, the tourist police, or international hospital may be your best option.

SafetyWing is our recommended travel health insurance provider. In case of any type of medical incident, having health insurance coverage in Thailand can save you a lot of money, or even your life.

Emergency numbers

Police & emergencies – 191 This may be the most important number to remember. Thailand has reportedly made 191 the main call center for all emergencies. If the operator is unable to speak English, call 1155 (below).

Tourist Police – 1155 or (+66) 2308-0333 This hotline is available 24 hours a day and they will all speak English. This is an important phone number to remember – They will help you out with any concerns or questions you have and can redirect you to the correct number you may need. Public Ambulance (Everywhere) – 1669 Dialing this number will connect you to a public ambulance service, which will dispatch a vehicle to your location. The average response time for urban areas is around 10 minutes, but may take up to 30 minutes in rural areas. English-speaking staff should be available to assist you.

Fire Department – 199 In case of an emergency such as a house fire, or forest fire, call 199 for the Fire Department to be dispatched to your location.

Private Ambulance (Bangkok) – 1724 or 1719 The response time of a public ambulance can vary. Traffic is terrible in Bangkok so it could be worth noting down these private ambulance numbers. It will cost you more but you are likely to get to the hospital and be treated quickly.

Highway Police – 1193 If you plan on driving in Thailand, then you may end up needing to use this number if you break down in an unsafe place etc.

Note: The emergency medical services (ambulance) should have English speaking staff, but the police and fire services may not speak your language. If there is a Thai speaker nearby, get them to call. If it is not an urgent emergency and you do not have a Thai speaker with you, it is advised to call the Tourist Police – See below.

Embassies and Consulates

The Consular office of the Embassy of a foreign national in Thailand is responsible for providing assistance and information to citizens in distress, such as victims of crime, those arrested on suspicion of committing a crime, those experiencing serious illness, those who have lost a partner or spouse, and those in need of repatriation after a crisis. Additionally, they can assist with lost or stolen passports.

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กองบัญชาการตำรวจท่องเที่ยว TOURIST POLICE BUREAU

ที่อยู่กองบัญชาการ.

999 หมู่ที่ 1 ถนนสุวรรณภูมิ 4 หนองปรือ บางพลี  สมุทรปราการ 10540  

1155 / 0-2287-3101

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Thailand Emergency Services: Phone Numbers you should have before visiting Thailand

dimaak_admin

February 22, 2024

Thailand, is a country that has a tourist-friendly policy and attracts travelers from around the world, throughout the year. Thailand vacations are always a breeze as people have a wonderful time. However, accidents or unavoidable circumstances may also happen in Thailand during your trip. In addition, the hot climate, traffic, and the food can also sometimes lead to health problems among the tourists. Thus, before traveling to Thailand, it’s better to gather all the essential information of the country.

We should always be prepared for the worst. To avoid any risks, it is necessary to take precautions. Traveling in Thailand is fairly easy, but it is important to note down emergency numbers before you travel to Thailand.

The numbers you need to know are listed below. Just keep it with you for peace of mind.

Emergency Phone Numbers in Thailand:

Let’s hope you’ll never be in a problematic situation during your trip, but in case you run into one, be assured, these emergency numbers will help you.

• Police: 191
• Tourist Police: 1155 (English, German, and French spoken)
• Fire Brigade: 199
• Ambulance: 1669
• Tourism Authority of Thailand: 1672

Call 191 if you need to contact the Thailand Police. 191 is the hotline to contact the Royal Thai Police. Sometimes the correspondents don’t understand English. In this case, you can contact the Tourist Police.  

In case of a health emergency, dial 1669. You will get a public ambulance when you call this number. If you are in urban areas, you will get the response in 10 to 15 minutes, and if in rural areas, it may take up to 30 minutes. If you call directly to any international hospital in Thailand, all the staff members understand English.

If you are facing serious health issues and you are not able to travel on the ground, then you can use private air ambulance companies. Many big hospitals have helipads. This is more expensive but you can reach the hospital in a shorter time. The air ambulance is also staffed with two pilots accompanied by two medical specialists to provide any medical help on the spot.

Other Emergency Numbers to Call in Thailand:

• Tourist Service Center: 1672
• Telephone Directory Assistance: 1133
• Thailand Yellow Pages: 1188
• Highway Police: 1193
• Ambulance: 1646 (For Bangkok)
• Bumrungrad International Hospital: +66 (0)2 667 2999
• Ambulance for Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital, Bangkok: +66 (0)2 712 7007
• Bangkok Hospital (Emergency): +66 (0)2 310 3102
• Immigration Bureau: +66 (0)2 287 3101
• Suvarnabhumi International Airport: +66 (0)2 132 1888
• Thai Airways: 1566
• Bangkok Taxi call center: 1681/81, +66 (0)2 424 2222
• Air Ambulance – 02 586 7654
• National disaster warning center – 1860
• Crime – 1195

How to deal during Emergency?

As you have the phone number of Tourist Police of Thailand (1155) call and voice your concern and they will definitely help you.

If you are facing a problem in Thailand, Don’t worry. You’ll find nearly everyone around extremely helpful. However, even though you are a guest in Thailand, all the people around you will also share your concern, even if you are a stranger to them.

Be calm at any situation and don’t get angry whether you are right or wrong. You will be treated with full respect if you remain calm and act friendly.

Be Polite and always keep a smile while solving your problem. A smile will take you real far with the people of the land of smiles. And the people will treat you with more respect.

Final Thoughts:

Thailand is a country with wide varieties of travel opportunities. However, you should always be ready for possible emergency circumstances. Do not forget to note down emergency phone numbers of Thailand. Keep your passport, insurance copy, ID and bank cards in your pocket. All these simple precautionary steps will help you avoid risky situations. We hope this guide will help keep yourself safe during your stay in Thailand.

Be careful and have a great time in Thailand!

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Useful Telephone Numbers

In the event of an emergency, its best to call the Tourist Police on 1155 as other operators may not speak good English. In other circumstances, ask a Thai person to call on your behalf, such as the reception staff at your hotel.

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Tourist Police

This page is created for your information. Our website IS NOT the Tourist Police site. Please do not email us asking for assistance is legal disputes. You should contact one of the office below or phone 1155.

National Tourist Police Call Centre Telephone: 1155

The force has offices in the major tourist areas:

Other Tourist Police Numbers

Bangkok tourist assistance Centre call (02) 281 5051 Pattaya tourist police (038) 429 371 Phuket tourist police (076) 225 361 Chiang Mai tourist police (053) 248 130

Other Emergency Numbers

General Emergency Call: 191 Ambulance and Rescue: 1554 Medical Emergency Call: 1669

Other Useful Numbers

Telephone Directory Assistance: 1133 Tourist Service Centre: 1672 Bangkok Taxi Call Centre: 1681, 1661, (02) 424 2222 Credit Card (Visa, Master Card): (02) 256 7326 to 7327

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With the growth of tourism over the last 30 years a special unit has been set up by the Royal Thai Police force to deal with the safety and well-being of tourists. The officers of the Tourist Police wear a distinctive badge on the their arm and speak English and some other European languages. They can be called upon in all kinds of situations, such as road traffic accidents, theft, disputes with hotels or shop keepers where a foreign tourist is involved. They will act as arbitrators on disputes, and in our experience they do so in an unbiased fashion.

This page is created for your information. Our website IS NOT the Tourist Police site. Please do not email us asking for assistance is legal disputes. You should contact one of the office below or phone 1155.

National Tourist Police Call Centre Telephone: 1155

The force has offices in the major tourist areas:

Other Tourist Police Numbers

Bangkok tourist assistance Centre call (02) 281 5051 Pattaya tourist police (038) 429 371 Phuket tourist police (076) 225 361 Chiang Mai tourist police (053) 248 130

Other Emergency Numbers

General Emergency Call: 191 Ambulance and Rescue: 1554 Medical Emergency Call: 1669

Other Useful Numbers

Telephone Directory Assistance: 1133 Tourist Service Centre: 1672 Bangkok Taxi Call Centre: 1681, 1661, (02) 424 2222 Credit Card (Visa, Master Card): (02) 256 7326 to 7327

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Pattaya Tourist Police. The duty of the Tourist Police is to help and care for tourists throughout Thailand. We would like you to enjoy your trip in the Land of Smiles. We can advise tourists about how to take care of themselves, as well as alerting them to some common problems that they should be aware of when travelling in Thailand. Over the past three decades, the tourism industry of the country has grown rapidly. There are more and more foreign tourists every year, bringing in a large amount of revenue to the country. At the same time, problems of crime and manipulation of tourists have been on the rise. The government has set up an organization to be responsible for tourist safety and well-being, in addition to the local Police. Initially, the private sector, in co-operation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand or the Tourism Organization of Thailand, made a special request to The Royal Thai Police concerning tourist safety. The Royal Thai Police consequently set up the Tourist Safety and Convenience Center (TSCC), under the Crime Suppression Division. With a staff of 60 policemen, the center registered complaints, investigated matters, and provided protection and safety for tourists in various places and tourist attractions in Bangkok. At that time, the private sector contributed to the venture by donating vehicles and communications equipment for the Police. Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Police worked on establishing the center as the Tourist Police Division so that it would be a permanent organization, responsible for tourist safety and well-being. The Government approved the proposal, in principle, on 24 November 1976, but there were problems with the budget. the Ministry of Interior was responsible for providing safety and general services for tourists. The Royal Thai Police Department was asked to form the new Police Division which would specialize in dealing with tourists. The Royal Thai Police and the Tourism Authority of Thailand subsequently made some adjustments and changed the TSCC into the Tourist Assistance Center (TAC). The TAC was to provide services to tourists regarding their complaints about crime and manipulation. The TAC’s area of responsibility was also expanded to other popular tourist destinations apart from Bangkok, namely, Chiangmai, Pattaya, Phuket and Hatyai. Later in 1992, realizing the importance of the organization, the Government finally established a permanent Tourist Police Organization at Pattaya - Section 5, Direction Division 8, under the Crime Suppression Division, according to the Royal Decree on the division of Government Organization in the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Interior (the 10th), 2525 B.E. However, with the rapid growth of the Tourism Industry, both in terms of the increasing number of tourists and widespread tourist attractions all over the country, the structure of the Tourist Police Organization at Direction Division Level was not in line with its responsibility to provide tourists with safety and general services. The government therefore changed the Tourist Police Organization to become the Tourist Police Division, under the Central Investigation Bureau, and changed the Section 5, Direction Division 8 into Tourist Police Station 4, Sub-Division 2, Tourist Police Division, according to the Royal Decree on the division of government organizations in The Royal Thai Police, 2548 B.E., and the Ministerial Regulations on the Division of Government Organization or the other name of government organization in the Royal Thai Police, 2548 B.E., which came into force on 1st July 2005. Tourist Police Station 4, Sub-Division 2, Tourist Police Division, is located at 609/1 Moo.10, Pratumnak Rd., Pattaya, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150. Tel. 038 429 371, 038 425 937, Fax. 038 410 044, having the responsibilities in the areas of Chonburi, Samutprakarn, and Chachoengsao Provinces.

ตำรวจท่องเที่ยวพัทยา. สถานีตำรวจท่องเที่ยว 4 กองกำกับการ 2 กองบังคับการตำรวจท่องเที่ยว

70 เมืองพัทยา, Muang Pattaya, Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chang Wat Chon Buri 20150

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Emergency contact numbers

10 Emergency Numbers You Should Have in Your Phone

      Disasters are something that no one wants to happen, but as a precaution, it is important to have emergency numbers on your phone when you need to call for help.  

Below are some emergency numbers you should know in the event of an emergency, misfortune, or an unexpected accident,  for peace of mind: 

- Emergency Hot Line 191 

- Tourist Police 1155 

- Highway Patrol 1193 

- Immigration Police 1178 

- TAT Tourist Assistance Center 1672 

- National Disaster Warning Center 192 

- Emergency Medical Services in Thailand 1669 

- Bangkok Emergency Medical Unit 1646 

- Resuscitation Medical Unit 1154 

- Police Hospital 1691

Reference: Office of the Official Information Commission (updated 24 Feb. 22) Data updated on February 24, 2022 Source : Office of the Official Information Commission

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International Offices of the Tourism Authority of Thailand

• TAT Beijing Office Room 902, Office Tower E1 Oriental Plaza, No.1 East Chang An Avenue, Dong Cheng District, Beijing 100738 China Tel: (86 10) 8518 3526-29 Fax: (86 10) 8518 3530 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tatbjs.org.cn Areas of Responsibility: Beijing, Liaoning Province, Jilin, Tianjin, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shanxi, Henan, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Mongolia
• TAT Chengdu Office 1404, Yanlord Landmark Office Tower 1 Renmin South Road Section 2, Chengdu 610016 Sichuan, China Tel: (86 28) 6465 6299 Fax: (86 28) 6465 6399 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: cn.tourismthailand.org , www.tourismthailand.org.cn Areas of Responsibility: Xinjing Uyghur Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu, Shaaxi, Chungqing, Sichuan, and Tibet Autonomous Region
• TAT Guangzhou Office Room 1252-1254, The Garden Tower, The Garden Hotel, 368 Huanshi Dong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China Tel: (86 20) 8333 8999 Ext 1252-1254 Fax: (86 20) 8365 1836 E-mail:  [email protected]  Areas of Responsibility: Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and Hunan
• TAT Kunming Office Room 1301, Brilliant Plaza No. 6 Sanshi Street Kunming, Yunnan PR, 650011, China Tel: (86 87) 1317 8840 Fax: (86 87) 1317 1664 E-mail Address:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
• TAT Shanghai Office 27th Floor, Room 2703, CH Finance Centre Building, 288 Nanjing Road (West), Huang Pu District Shanghai 200003, China Tel: (86 21) 33 66 3409 Fax: (86 21) 33 66 3408 E-mail address:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Shanghai, Shandong, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang
• TAT Hong Kong Office Room 2101, 21/F Prosperity Tower 39 Queen’s Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2868 0732 Fax: (852) 2868 4585 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.org/hk Areas of Responsibility: Hong Kong and Macau
• TAT Taipei Office 13th Floor, Boss Tower No. 111 Sung Chiang Road (Near Nanking East Road Junction), Taipei 104, Taiwan Tel: (886 2) 2502 1600 Fax: (886 2) 2502 1603 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tattpe.org.tw Area of Responsibility: Taiwan
• TAT Fukuoka Office Hakata Riverain Eest Site 11F, 2-1, Shimokawabatamachi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0027 Japan Tel: (81) 92 260 9308 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.thailandtravel.or.jp Areas of Responsibility: Kyushu Island and Okinawa
• TAT Osaka Office Nikke Yotsubashi Bldg., 1-4-26 Shinmachi, Nishi-ku Osaka 550-0013 Japan Tel: (81 6) 6543 6654, 6543 6655 Fax: (81 6) 6543 6660 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.thailandtravel.or.jp Areas of Responsibility: Southern area of Honshu Island, Kinki, Chugoku and Chabu
• TAT Tokyo Office Yurakucho Denki Building, South Tower 2nd Fl. Room 259, 1-7-1 Yurakucho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0006, Japan Tel: (81 3) 3218 1077 Fax: (81 3) 3218 0655 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.thailandtravel.or.jp Areas of Responsibility: Northern area of Honshu Island, Tohoku, Kanto and Hokkaido Island
• TAT Seoul Office Room No.1205, Daeyungak Tower, 12th Floor, 25-5, 1-Ka, Chungmu-Ro, Chung-Ku, Seoul 100-706, Republic of Korea Tel: (82 2) 779 5416-8, 779 5160, 779 5162-4 Fax: (82 2) 779 5419 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tatsel.or.kr Area of Responsibility: Republic of Korea

ASEAN, South Asia & South Pacific

• TAT Sydney Office Royal Exchange, Suite 2002, Level 20, 56 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia Tel: (61 2) 9247 7549 Fax: (61 2) 9251 2465 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.org/au Areas of Responsibility: Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific
• TAT Mumbai Office 215, 4th Floor, Free Press House Free Press Journal Marg Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400 021 India Tel: (91 22) 2204 2727, 2204 2728 Fax: (91 22) 2204 2729 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.amazingthailand.co.in Areas of Responsibility: Western and Southern India, Sri Lanka and Maldives
• TAT New Delhi Office A 12/4 Ground Floor, Vasant Vihar New Delhi, 110057, India Tel: (91 11) 4166 3567-9 Fax: (91 11) 4166 3570 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.amazingthailand.co.in Areas of Responsibility: Northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan
• TAT Jakarta Office The Plaza, 38th Floor, Zone B, 1. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30 Jakarta 10350 Indonesia Tel: (62) 21 2992 2353 Fax: (62) 21 2992 8355 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.wisatathailand.com Areas of Responsibility: Indonesia
• TAT Kuala Lumpur Office Suite 22.01, Level 22nd, Menara Citibank, 165 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 50450 Malaysia Tel: (60 3) 216 23480 Fax: (60 3) 216 23486 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.my Areas of Responsibility: Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam
• TAT Singapore Office C/O Royal Thai Embassy 370 Orchard Road, Singapore 238870 Tel: (656) 235 7901 Fax: (656) 733 5653 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: https://tourismthailand.sg/ Areas of Responsibility: Singapore and Philippines
• TAT Ho Chi Minh Office The Empire Tower 5th floor, 26 – 28 Ham Nghi Street District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Tel: (84 86) 291 3885-6 Fax: (84 86) 291 3887 E-mail:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Vietnam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia
• TAT Prague Office Quadrio Business Center, Purkynova 2121/3, 110 00, Prague 1, Czech Republic Tel: +420 281 913 738, +420 281 913 739 Email: [email protected] Website: Czech Market – www.amazingthailand.cz Poland – www.amazingthailand.pl Ukraine – www.tourismthailand.com.ua Romania – www.thailanda.ro Areas of Responsibility: Czech, Poland, Hungary. Slovak, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Moldova, Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro
• TAT Paris Office Office National du Tourisme de Thailande 90, Avenue des Champs-Elysees, Paris, 75008, France Tel: (33 1) 5353 4700 E-mail: Information: [email protected] , Others: [email protected] Website: www.tourismethai.fr Areas of Responsibility: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Morocco, Monaco, Tunisia and Algeria
• TAT Frankfurt Office Kirchnerstr.6-8, 60311 Frankfurt / Main Tel: (49 69) 138139 0 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.thailandtourismus.de Areas of Responsibility: Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• TAT Rome Office Ente Nazionale per il Turismo Thailandese Via Barberini 68, 4th Floor, 00187 Roma, Italy Tel: (39 06) 420 14422, 420 14426 Fax: (39 06) 487 3500 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.turismothailandese.it Areas of Responsibility: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Türkiye, Greece, and Cyprus
• TAT Moscow Office 16/23, Building 1, 3rd Floor, 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Street, Moscow, Russian Federation 125047 Tel: +7 (499) 250 8345 Fax: +7 (499) 251 6433 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand.ru Areas of Responsibility: Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyz
• TAT Stockholm Office Drottninggatan 33 GF 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden Tel: (46 8) 700 56 91 Fax: (46 8) 700 56 99 E-mail:  [email protected] Website: www.thecoloursofthailand.com Areas of Responsibility: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
• TAT London Office 4th Floor, 12 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XH Tel: +44 020 7925 2511 Fax: +44 020 7925 2512 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Website: www.fanclubthailand.co.uk   Areas of Responsibility: United Kingdom and Ireland

The Americas, Africa & Middle East

• TAT Chicago Office 700 N Rush St, Chicago, Illinois 60016 Email:  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Canada, Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
• TAT Los Angeles Office 611 North Larchmont Boulevard, 1st Floor Los Angeles, CA 90004, USA Tel: (1 323) 461 9814 Fax: (1 323) 461 9834 E-mail: [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,  Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Guam Island and all Central and Southern American countries
• TAT New York Office 61 Broadway, Suite 2810 New York, N.Y. 10006, USA Tel: (1 212) 432 0433 Fax: (1 212) 269 2588 E-mail:  [email protected] ,  [email protected] Areas of Responsibility: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,  Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and The Caribbean
• TAT Dubai Office (Middle East & Africa) 133 Sheikh Zayed Road, Dusit Thani Dubai, Apartment No. 1804 P.O. Box 450019, Dubai, UAE Tel: (97 1) 4325 0184-5 Fax: (97 1) 4325 0187 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tourismthailand-middleeast.org Areas of Responsibility: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Africa

Thailand’s Tourist Towns Deal With Their Own Russian Invasion

I t’s just past 11 p.m. on Phuket’s neon-festooned Bangla Road and revelers are out in force, though the heady atmosphere is distinctly more Sochi than Southeast Asia. TVs overhanging the sprawling beer bars show ice skating instead of soccer; Cyrillic signage proliferates; and Russian-speaking touts dispense flyers for pole-dancing clubs exclusively featuring women from former Soviet republics. “Russians, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Kazakhs,” says one tout in dark Ray Bans and a skin-tight Armani polo shirt. “We have them all here.”

The war in Ukraine has entailed an incalculable human toll, while roiling markets, disrupting supply chains, and sending inflation soaring across the globe. But in Thailand, the two-year-old conflict is also having a profound social effect despite being over 4,000 miles away. While many Western nations have shut out Russian air travel in response to Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Thailand sees Russian arrivals as key to reviving its pandemic-ravaged tourism industry. In October, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin extended 90-day visas upon arrival for Russian passports, insisting in a February interview : “We’re not part of the [Ukraine] conflict. We are neutral.”

Read More: 5 Takeaways from TIME’s Conversation with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin

Last year, Russians ranked top for tourist arrivals in Thailand from outside of Asia with 1.4 million visitors. Meanwhile, Russians were top overall on the southern resort island of Phuket, which has long been a favorite haunt. Last July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Phuket to inaugurate a new consulate to cope with surging visitor numbers. A month later, the Phuket Tourist Association sent a delegation to St. Petersburg and Moscow seeking to court even more vacationers.

In the first three months of this year, 366,095 Russians arrived at Phuket International Airport, almost double the same period of 2023 and transforming the island’s commercial and social life. (That figure doesn’t include the significant number who transferred via Thailand’s main gateway of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.) But while a boon for the macro economy, the influx has chafed with locals who increasingly complain that Russians are stealing jobs and upsetting cultural mores. Across Thailand, lurid headlines such as “ Rabid Russian assaults police team in Phuket after going berserk at a city centre hotel ” and “ Russian tourist kicks pregnant Thai woman after asked to leave shoes outdoor ” are both a symptom and cause of alarm. (However, transgressions involving New Zealand , Swiss , and Portuguese nationals admittedly proliferate also.)

“Russia and Thailand are so different and sometimes they don’t understand Thai law and culture,” Lieut. Colonel Akachai Siri, chief inspector of Phuket Tourist Police, tells TIME. “Sometimes they break the law and they don’t recognize we have law enforcement.”

Nevertheless, Thailand’s Russian incursion appears here to stay. Other than the preferential visas, sanctions on Russian air carriers and reciprocal bans on Western airlines have slashed the destinations where Russian nationals can escape their frigid winter, making already-popular Thailand an easier choice. And then there are the not inconsiderable numbers fleeing economic doldrums and a war of choice that they had no part in choosing—not least since the Kremlin has ramped up military conscription amid mounting casualties .

“That was the final straw for us,” says Mark, a Russian who fled to Thailand with his boyfriend after an initial draft announcement in September 2022 and asked that TIME use a pseudonym for security. “We understood we can’t go back because anyone can be called to the army and just die in the war.”

As a result, the number of Russians choosing to stay in Thailand long-term is soaring. Beyond 90-day visas upon arrival, thousands are applying for one-year business or education visas. Arnold, who asked that TIME use only one name for fear of reprisals in his homeland, moved from Moscow to the Thai resort town of Hua Hin permanently last year and has noticed an increase in what are colloquially termed “ relocants ” fleeing the “various negative things which are going on back home.”

The affluent are acquiring luxury cars and yachts and renting or purchasing villas. Phuket’s plush Laguna beachfront complex of villas, ornamental lake, and 18-hole golf course is now dubbed “Little Moscow,” says Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, advisory chairman to Phuket’s Tourist Association. Over half of all residents across its 1,000 acres are Russian, according to the Laguna real estate management office, which employs two native Russian speakers to deal with the shifting demographic. Across Phuket, real estate prices have bumped some 20% owing to the Russian influx, says Bhummikitti.

The incursion has also increased pressure on Akachai’s Tourist Police, which has only 60 officers to assist the 2,000-odd regular Royal Thai Police and 60 dedicated Immigration Police across both Phuket and the larger adjacent province of Pha Nga. In addition to swelling tourist numbers, whereas 60% of tourists before the pandemic traveled on tour groups with guides and agents on hand to smooth any problems, today, 70% are independent travelers, which means the Tourist Police are increasingly called to mediate all manner of conflicts.

Relaxed entry requirements have also attracted a criminal element. In early February, Phuket police arrested five suspected Russian gangsters for the kidnapping and extortion of over $800,000 in cryptocurrency from a Belarussian couple that Akachai says was retaliation for a financial dispute back home. And last month, a 42-year-old Russian man was found stabbed to death in a rented house that was being used as a cannabis farm. The chief suspect is a Tajikistani man who fled Thailand for Turkey just hours after the murder.

Yet Akachai says most crimes relate to illegal work involving Russians determined not to return home while the war rages but without the means to support themselves indefinitely—not least since international banking sanctions have rendered accessing savings more difficult. Many Russians have set themselves up as unofficial tour guides, car and motorbike rental services, real estate agents, hairdressers, or even sex workers, advertising online via Telegram groups.

Yet not all aspects of the phenomenon are troublesome. Other than Russians, a significant number of Ukrainians have fled their war torn nation for Thailand, potentially creating a tinderbox atmosphere. But Akachai says he has not encountered a single skirmish or negative incident between the two nationalities in Phuket. Yury Rozhkov, 46, a Russian national who works for a travel agency in Bangkok, says he regularly meets Ukrainians staying in his apartment building and relations are nothing but cordial.

“They understand it’s Putin, it’s not Russia, Russian people are different,” he says. “And I’m sure Russians who have money to travel to Thailand do not support Putin and the war in Ukraine.”

In Hua Hin, Arnold is a member of a Russian-language Telegram group with more than 4,500 members from across the former Soviet bloc, but he says he cannot recall a single politically charged message among the 400 or so posted every day. “99.9% of discussions are where to find the best pad thai, current prices in the local market, how to rent a car, or where to get a vaccine,” he says.

Perched by the main gate of Phuket’s Laguna resort, the d’Odessa restaurant serves Ukrainian syrniki pancakes and smoked salmon croissants slathered with gold leaf. The tablet menu has options for Ukrainian, English, and Russian—and staff say the majority of clientele speak the latter. “There are many Ukrainian restaurants filled with Russians in Phuket,” says Bhummikitti.

Ultimately, both sides caught up in this senseless conflict share a desire to stay out of harm’s way by whatever means necessary. Mark is still employed by his Russian IT company thanks to an understanding boss despite remote working being strictly against company policy. Every day he fears a draft ticket or internal enquiries by higher management could spell the end to that vital paycheck. If that happens, “I will try to find a local job or another [remote] job in Russia,” he says. “I will try every way I can not to go back.”

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Write to Charlie Campbell / Phuket, Thailand at [email protected]

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Tourist rubles ensure warm welcome for Russians in Thailand

>>> For more on this topic, read the complete Bear East series here . 

Ask any Russian person which country in Southeast Asia they have heard about and you’d probably hear “Thailand.” Russian tourists are crowding its beaches, bars and even its Orthodox churches.

That’s not just a sign of Thailand’s legendary reputation for hospitality and knack for catering to foreign visitors that has earned the country the moniker “Land of Smiles.” Thailand welcomed 11.4 million foreign tourists in 2022. But with Russians increasingly limited on where they can visit because of international restrictions imposed on Moscow relating to the war in Ukraine, Thailand has kept its doors open.

From Russia with love

On the southern island of Phuket, some areas have turned into something resembling a resort town on the Black Sea with Russian men and women lounging on the beach, trying to soak up as much sun as possible. 

There are signboards in Cyrillic, Russian mothers pushing strollers around and new Russian restaurants that offer a taste of home. Russian real estate agents, tour companies and even Russian tour guides cater to the visitors – which rankles locals in the tourist trade, who say they are losing business.

“Russian people love Thailand, the people, the climate, the nature and the delicious food,” gushed Olesya, a young Russian businesswoman. She and her husband, Denis, have been to Phuket five times. 

Olesya said they felt welcome here and “have not sensed any negative vibes” against Russians – although they were shy of speaking to a journalist and requested to be identified by their first names only.

Thailand is America’s oldest ally in Asia, and was for decades a bulwark against Soviet influence in Southeast Asia during the Cold War, but it’s also a nation with a storied past with Russia. 

Diplomatic relations date back 126 years, when the then-Kingdom of Siam’s modernizing monarch, Chulalongkorn, also known as King Rama V, traveled to St. Petersburg in 1897.

Despite the international maelstrom over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Thailand has not condemned Moscow and has abstained from several votes against Russia at the United Nations.

But perhaps more significantly, there are still ways for Russians to spend their money in Thailand, which relies heavily on tourism earnings.

Due to U.S. and U.K. sanctions, Russians can’t conduct transactions via the global SWIFT electronic payment system. But they can still use China’s UnionPay – the world’s largest card payment network – or use cash or cryptocurrencies. 

Cornering the condo market

The Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry said that between January and June this year nearly 800,000 Russian nationals visited the Kingdom, and the number is expected to reach more than 1 million by the end of the year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has set an ambitious target of receiving 2 million Russian visitors in 2024. Half of them are expected to fly to Phuket.

A free 45-day visitor visa and direct flights between the two countries make the goal easier. 

Maetapong “Oun” Upatising, president of the Phuket Real Estate Association, says that the Russian market bounced back quickly after the COVID downturn, both in tourist numbers and property demands.

Russian visitors prefer to rent villas and condominiums instead of hotels when staying longer than three months, and the number of rental units in Phuket alone is more than ten thousand a month, he said.

There is also a growing number of rich Russians who obtained long-term resident visas that let them stay in Thailand for five to 10 years or more. Those so-called “elite visas” cost at least U.S.$20,000 yet the number of elite visa holders from Russia is increasing steadily. 

Between 5,000 and 10,000 wealthy Russians are thought to have obtained long-term visas and become residents in Phuket. Last year Russian buyers purchased nearly 40% of all condominiums sold to foreigners on the island, according to the Thai Real Estate Information Center.

Russian investors also put large sums of money into other types of properties, among which luxury villas are the top buy. Those villas come with hefty price tags, starting from 25 million baht ($730,000), according to Maetapong from the Phuket Real Estate Association.

Organized crime

Phuket even has its own Russian newspaper. Despite the comparative ease with which Russians can travel to Thailand, the paper’s editor gripes that his countrymen get a bad rap.

“Right now, it’s legitimate not to like the Russians,” said Anton Makhrov, the editor of Novosti Phuketa, who likens it to a kind of xenophobia against Russians in Thailand.

“When you get on Facebook, you’ll see lots of comments such as ‘the Russians are aggressive and arrogant, we don’t like you’ but when you talk to people they all say they have good relations with some Russian friends,” he said, speaking in the weekly paper’s office in a small alley in Kathu district of Phuket.

Russian visitors have also often been blamed for bad behavior, as well as petty crime such as drunk-driving and theft.

The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 also appears to have dimmed Thais’ perception of Russian people. Katherine Aliakseyeva, principal of the Russian Dance Academy "Katyusha" in Bangkok, says she’s worried about the safety of her staff and students.

The school has been regularly taking part in cultural events organized by the Russian Embassy.

There are also long-held suspicions that Russian “mafia” operate in Thailand. A December 2009 cable by the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok that was declassified in 2019 said that “ Russian organized crime circles established a presence in Thailand in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.”

According to the diplomatic cable, U.S. and Thai law enforcement agencies reported that “criminal networks composed of mostly Russian nationals operating in Pattaya and Phuket are responsible for the commission of numerous crimes, including extortion, money laundering, narcotics trafficking, real estate fraud, financial fraud, human smuggling, pandering, counterfeiting, document fraud, cybercrime and illegal importation of cars.”

“A number of U.S. law enforcement agencies are involved in investigating or monitoring cases involving Russian organized crime in Thailand in cooperation with Thai partners,” it said.

However, earlier this year Thai police officials were also quoted by domestic media as saying that “ no Russian organized crime rings have been detected amid the recent influx of visitors.”

Police Maj. Gen. Phanthana Nutchanart, deputy commander of the Immigration Bureau, told the Bangkok Post that “most legal issues involving Russian citizens in Thailand were minor offenses, such as traffic violations.”

‘Everything else is God’s will’

There is a spiritual side to Russia’s presence in Thailand.

As the number of Russian visitors has grown, so has the demand for places to worship.

Today there are 10 Russian churches in Thailand. The first parish – the Nicholas parish, named after Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II – was opened in Bangkok in 1999.

In 2007, Thailand’s Queen Sirikit visited Russia to commemorate the 110th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and a year later, the Russian Orthodox Church was officially recognized by the Thai government. 

The churches mainly serve the Russian-speaking community that is made up of tourists and locally-based businessmen, but it draws some Thais too.

Several priests from Thailand, as well as from Laos and Cambodia – all predominantly Budddhist countries – have attended Russian Orthodox seminaries and are now serving in Southeast Asia.

The war in Ukraine has created serious tensions within the Orthodox Church. The head of the Russian Church – Patriarch Kirill – has openly thrown his support behind President Vladimir Putin, but Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the world's Orthodox Christians, has condemned the Russian invasion.

Bartholomew in December 2018 granted independence to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and more than 100 Ukrainian churches have now distanced themselves from Moscow.

In Thailand, both believers and priests alike also try to distance themselves from the conflict. Danai Wanna, who was the first Thai national ordained as a Russian Orthodox priest and is now serving in the resort city of Pattaya, said that priests are not allowed to speak about the war.

The Church of All Saints nestles in a village on the outskirts of Pattaya. It boasts a large collection of Russian icons, which Danai is very proud of, even if most of them are replicas.

Services are conducted in a small hall on the second floor, and the priest said during the high season and on Christian holidays he receives hundreds of worshippers.

“Many different nationals come here to pray and we don’t talk about anything but friendship and love,” he said.

“We don’t discuss about what’s been happening but we pray for peace. Everything else is God’s will.”

Diplomatic pressure

Thailand’s refusal to yield to pressure from Western countries to condemn Russia has raised some eyebrows in Washington. A close U.S. ally, Thailand was once known as fiercely anti-communist. 

However, “in the post-Cold War era and especially since the turn of the twenty-first century, Thailand’s role in international affairs has become much less proactive,” according to Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

The relationship between Bangkok and Washington also eroded after the military coups in 2006 and 2014 in Thailand, which the U.S. condemned.

“In the country’s relations with the major powers, successive Thai governments have tried to pursue a balanced approach and not to take sides in the geopolitical squabbles,” Storey said.

In March 2022, a month after the invasion of Ukraine, then-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told a cabinet meeting that “Thailand must maintain a neutral stance” and that “the long-standing relations between Thailand and Russia must be taken into account.”

That year, the two countries celebrated the 125th anniversary of diplomatic relations. 

In fact, the first contacts between the monarchs of Russia and Siam go back as far as the 1860s when two Russian Imperial Navy Pacific Squadron ships anchored in Chao Phraya River and the sailors were granted an audience with Mongkut, King Rama IV. 

In 1891, King Rama V received Crown Prince Nicholas on his visit to Siam. Rama V’s son, Prince Chula Chakrabongse, studied and graduated from the Russian Imperial Military Academy and married a Russian woman.

In 2003, Putin became the first Russian leader to visit Thailand for more than 100 years. 

Arms sales and military cooperation

The recent warming in Russia-Thailand relations appears to stem primarily from pragmatic calculations. While trade between the two countries is modest at $1.81 billion in 2021, the Thai economy relies greatly on tourist income.

Thai tourism authorities say Russian visitors are among those who stay the longest and spend the most. 

Yet, following the 2014 Thai military coup that complicated the U.S.-Thailand alliance, Russia saw an opportunity to boost defense relations with Thailand, and together with it, arms sales.

Then-Prime Minister Prayuth, who had led the coup, traveled to Russia in May 2016. The two nations signed an agreement on military cooperation. A year later, they signed a military-technology collaboration agreement.

Thailand had expressed interest in buying Russian military equipment such as helicopters, fighter jets and tanks for its air force and ground troops. 

However, Storey from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said that so far Moscow has had little success in arms sales. Its defense exports to Thailand over the period 2006-2021 have amounted to just $73 million, he said, adding that Moscow has been “undercut by China on price.”

Two examples were when the Thai military junta invited bids for the supply of two submarines, as well as a new main battle tank, and both times awarded the contracts to China, which has now become Thailand’s leading supplier of military equipment.

“Russia is simply not a player in Thailand's defense plans though they flirted heavily for years,” said Storey.

But the push continues. Since 2021, Thai cadets and officers have been sent to Russia to undergo training at the military academy under the Russian Federation's Ministry of Defense. Courses vary from one to six years, according to the Russian Embassy.

And at a ceremony at U-tapao Air Base near Bangkok in March 2021, Russia handed over three Mil Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters to the Royal Thai Army. Moscow delivered 10 such helicopters between 2008 and 2021. The Thai Ministry of Interior also purchased two Kamov KA-32A11VS utility helicopters for disaster relief operations.

It was perhaps a sign of the times, and of Thailand’s elasticity in its dealings with world powers, that the ceremony to receive the Russian military equipment was staged at what a half-century earlier was a key U.S. Air Force base during the Vietnam War.

Then this April saw the first-ever talks between the Russian-Thai armed forces general staff, where they discussed “conducting joint operational and combat training activities,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

Thai strategists have long taken pride in their country’s pragmatic and flexible foreign policy, which they compare to the bamboo’s ability to bend with the wind and never break. Thanks to that policy, Thailand managed to avoid being involved in major wars in the region. But the same pragmatism may deter it from getting in too deep with Russia.

BenarNews journalist Pimuk Rakkanam contributed to this report.

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