Hughes Krupica: Surprising Laws in Thailand

Horn honking
So, you’re driving along the road and you see your old pal walking by and want to get his attention. You better roll down your window and yell, because under the Land Traffic Act you could be fined if you honk your horn for any reason other than to avoid an accident.

Sterilization = Time off work
Have you already used up your annual leave, but you still want some time off from work? You should consider getting sterilized. The Labour Protection Act explicitly allows people who get sterilized to have as much time off from work as a doctor prescribes.

Passing school buses
Back home in Canada, you’re not allowed to pass a school bus that is picking up or dropping off a child. In Thailand, all you’re required to do is slow down and pass the bus with care.

Pregnant drivers
There is nothing wrong with asking a pregnant woman to drive somewhere. Unless, that is, you are her employer. In such case, if you require her to drive somewhere, you could face up to six months in prison.

Surnames upon divorce
After getting married, either spouse may use the last name of the other according to agreement. This probably won’t shock you, although you might be somewhat surprised by the progressive gender neutrality of this law. What is more surprising is that if a marriage is dissolved by divorce or a judicial decision, the spouses MUST revert to their former names. If a marriage ends by death, however, the surviving spouse may opt to keep the married name.

Impolite taxi drivers
I’m a bit young to have watched the late 70s / early 80s TV show “Taxi”. However, I believe that many of the characters in that show would have had trouble operating in Thailand, as taxi drivers in Thailand may be fined if they are impolite or sarcastic to passengers. I did a few minutes of research for this admittedly poor Taxi joke, and Wow, what a cast! Judd Hirsch! Danny DeVito! Christopher Lloyd! Andy Kaufman! Tony Danza! Maybe the next article will be a review of Taxi...

Holiday entitlement
While there are a minimum of 13 holidays that employees get to enjoy (usually coinciding with government or other traditional holidays), employees do not get to choose the dates of these days off work. When it comes to vacation days, employees in Thailand are not guaranteed any in their first year of work.
Once a full year of work has been completed, employees in Thailand are guaranteed only six vacation days by law. The number of vacation days guaranteed by law does not increase any further; an employee of 30 years is still only guaranteed six vacation days (in addition to the 13 statutory holidays) by law.

Motorcycling monks
If you’re caught riding a motorcycle without a helmet, you could face a 500 baht fine. Unless you’re a monk, in which case it’s legal to not wear a helmet.

Impersonating a schoolboy/schoolgirl
It is illegal to wear a student uniform or clothes similar to a student uniform if (a) you’re not a student and don’t have special permission to wear the uniform; and (b) it's for the purpose of deceiving another person into believing you’re a student. This is a somewhat reasonable law, as you can imagine there being sinister purposes for the deception. The penalty, however? Up to 1,000 Thai baht.

Red lights
It may surprise you to learn that cars in Thailand are required to stop at red lights.