Tourist police in Thailand raided an illegal film set in Chiang Mai and arrested eight Chinese nationals, including a producer and several actors, for allegedly filming without proper permits.
The operation was carried out on May 8 after authorities received information about a group of Chinese nationals filming inside a residence in Hang Dong district.
Investigations found that the group had been producing a “vertical series”, a short-form video drama format currently trending on Chinese social media platforms.
Police said the production involved both Chinese nationals and Thai individuals acting as interpreters during filming activities.
However, authorities discovered that the production crew did not possess the required filming permits and had failed to arrange supervision by government officials, as required under Thai law.
Further checks revealed that all eight Chinese nationals had entered Thailand using tourist visas and did not hold valid work permits.
During questioning, one of the suspects admitted to acting as both producer and actor for the series, adding that Chiang Mai was selected as the filming location due to its popularity among Chinese tourists.
Authorities reminded the suspects that all film productions in Thailand must comply with the Film and Video Act 2008, including approval of scripts or story synopses by the relevant committee before filming begins.
Officials said such regulations are intended to prevent content that could negatively affect the country’s image or distort facts.
Violations under the law can carry fines of up to one million baht.
All eight suspects were later handed over to investigators at Hang Dong Police Station for further action on allegations of working illegally as foreigners in Thailand.
Authorities also said additional action over the unauthorised filming would be referred to the Film and Video Committee under Thailand’s Department of Tourism.
