Freerunning Frenchmen warned by police after thrillseeking exploits in Thailand

Police warned five thrill-seeking Frenchmen that they face fines and time in prison if they are caught freerunning on residential buildings in Thailand.

Trang Provincial Police received complaints from locals yesterday of the Frenchmen, aged between 25 and 30, filming their freerunning (also known as parkour) exploits over eight residential buildings in the southern province of Trang.

Residents told police they were shocked and frightened by the dangerous escapades of the five foreigners and thought they were thieves trying to break into their properties.

Trang police officers rushed to the incident scene, eight residential buildings on the Kan Trang Soi 7 Road in the Tab Thiang sub-district of Trang province. They found three Frenchmen running from one rooftop to another while two other men filmed the stunts.

The officers urged the group to stop and went to talk to them.

They told the group that their freerunning exercise is considered housebreaking according to Thai law. The group acknowledged the warning but managed to negotiate one more round for the cameras.

After shooting the video the Frenchmen took some selfies with the concerned police officers and left the scene.

Officers visited concerned homeowners and residents and made it known that the foreigners had no intention of robbing them. They did it for fun and exercise.

One of the house owners, 73 year old Wasan Makechompu, gave an interview to Khaosod after the incident. Wasan said…

“I thought they were thieves. I felt relief after learning that they were just playing and filming something. They should ask permission from the homeowners before doing this. They should also let the police know and urge the police to monitor their activities. We were frightened and scared.”

According to Section 362 of the Criminal Law, whoever enters the property of another person and performs any actions that annoy the property’s owner shall be punished with imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.