Foreigners detained for illegal daycare services on Koh Pha Ngan

Police in Surat Thani detained several foreigners suspected of illegally running a daycare and a wakeboarding service centre on Koh Pha Ngan.

Tourist Police apprehended a 26 year old Russian woman and an 18 year old Myanmar woman at a residence where they were taking care of foreign children. The Russian woman confessed to the police that she had been working at the daycare for three months and was staying in Thailand on a tourist visa.

The Myanmar woman revealed she had been employed there for over a year, assisting as a helper. Both women indicated that their employer was a Belarusian woman, whom the police are currently attempting to locate.

Police also raided Back & Forth Wake Park, a business offering wakeboarding services on the southern tourist island. During the raid, a Russian man was arrested for operating the facility illegally since its opening in December last year. He, too, was found to be in Thailand on a tourist visa.

In the course of the raid, the Russian man was discovered employing a Ukrainian man and a Moldovan man to construct restrooms at the wakeboarding centre.

The four foreigners have been charged with illegal employment, although the Myanmar woman faces an additional charge for failing to report her employment and workplace to the police, said a spokesperson.

“We are committed to enforcing the law to ensure that all business operations on the island comply with regulations.”

The police are continuing their investigation to apprehend the Belarusian woman allegedly behind the daycare operation, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, police charged an American woman for running an unlicensed nursery on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani. Seven foreigners were found working at the site without permits.

Officers from the Immigration Bureau, Tourist Police, Koh Pha Ngan Police Station, and district office raided a rented house on a coconut plantation on the island which was converted into a daycare centre on March 6.