Four foreigners arrested for illegally working as tour guides and photographers in Phuket

A unit of officials tasked with arresting foreigners working illegally in Phuket arrested four foreigners yesterday.

Two of the men were leading tours at Chalong Pier, while the other two were working as pre-wedding photographers in Phuket Town.

Phuket Labor Office Chief Suthipong Saisakares, who heads the task force, reported that Myanmar national Kun Put, 24, and Saingyong Saechen, 24, were arrested at Chalong Pier for leading tour groups without work permits. Kun was working for tour company Freedom Phuket Co Ltd. while Saingyong was working for Bing Diving. Officials could not confirm his nationality , according to Suthipong, but he is not Thai.

Officers spotted Kun leading a tour group down the pier while holding a company flag. They found 33 pieces of snorkel equipment in Siangyong’s bag, which he confirmed was for his tour group.

In Phuket Town yesterday, two more arrests were made by the task force when they took  Chinese pre-wedding photographers Zheng Hongrong, 26, and Wen Yong, 29, into custody.

“Phuket Damrongdhama Center received a call from local residents reporting that two foreign photographers were taking pre-wedding pictures in tourist attraction areas and causing a public nuisance,” reported Suthipong. His unit went to investigate and found Wen photographing a couple on Thalang Road. Zheng was arrested on Yaowarat Road while photographing a different couple sitting in a tuk-tuk.

All four were charged with working in Thailand without a permit.

No mention was made of what happened to the tourists at Chalong Pier, who were left without their tour guides, or whether any investigation was ensuing into whether or not Siangyong was able to prove that he had entered the country legally

Story: The Phuket News



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