BANGKOK — Representatives from 17 foreign embassies met with Lumpini police officials on Friday to develop improved protocols for handling incidents involving foreign nationals experiencing mental health crises, a growing concern as tourist numbers and expatriate communities expand in Bangkok.
The meeting, held at Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel in Pathumwan district, brought together embassy officials, representatives from Immigration Police, Tourist Police, and the Royal Thai Police Foreign Affairs Division, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Homeless Protection Center, to establish better coordination for tourist safety and emergency response.
Police Colonel Yingyot Suwanno, Superintendent of Lumpini Police Station, revealed that the meeting addressed operational challenges faced by officers responding to incidents where foreigners experience mental health episodes requiring hospital intervention.
The discussion included presenting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to embassy representatives to improve mutual understanding during crisis response.
Officials cited several recent cases highlighting coordination difficulties:
- In February 2024, a Japanese woman commandeered a rescue vehicle and fled to Thonburi district. The embassy was unable to provide an interpreter due to limited staffing, forcing officers to source private translation services.
- Two separate incidents involving an American and a Russian citizen attempting to enter the US Embassy unauthorized, with one jumping into the front pond on May 29, 2024, and the other on June 19, 2024. Officers noted that multi-layered communication protocols between embassy security and police caused significant delays.
- On March 20, 2025, an elderly Polish man was found ill and brought to a hotel entrance. Police struggled to communicate with him and faced lengthy delays establishing contact with embassy officials before medical care could be arranged.
In contrast, authorities cited better outcomes in the case of a Belarusian national with mental health issues who damaged property and assaulted others at a hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 1. This case benefited from cooperation with Somdet Chaopraya Hospital, which specializes in psychiatric care.
The meeting also referenced a case dealing with a situation where a Belarusian national became intoxicated, exhibited erratic behavior, and physically resisted police officers in Phuket province on December 11, 2024. This case utilized clear SOP guidelines that were consistent with the law and easy to implement.
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