Bangkok police shut illegal beauty clinic attracting foreign clients

In a decisive move against illegal medical practices in Thailand, police have shut down an illicit beauty clinic operating without authorisation in the Ekamai region of Bangkok. The unapproved facility, CCoco Beauty Clinic, was found operating on Thursday and immediately closed based on reports from the Department of Health Service Support.

The entity of the clinic was discovered to be shielded by a group of Chinese business people, as stated by Pol. Maj. Gen Anan Nanasombat, the chief of the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD). Remarkably, the establishment had been providing services for a period of nine months and was one of a network of at least 15 CCoco branches found in counties like China, the UK, Australia, and Japan.

It became apparent that the clinic had been mostly targeting foreign clientele, advertising its services through influencer reviews, according to Anan’s statement.

The medical procedures were shockingly performed by an unlicensed foreigner, a citizen of Myanmar known as El Mon (surname deliberately left out), who claimed to be a certified doctor. The investigators discovered she had been involved in administering medical procedures that ranged from diagnoses to vitamin injections.

El Mon recounted to the police that she graduated from a medical university in her home country, Myanmar. She had been in the employment at the clinic for a month, reaching an agreement with a recruiter to be remunerated 2,000 baht for every procedure she performed.

However, her activities were deemed illegal due to her lack of a Thai medical license. Thus, she was accused of performing unauthorised medical procedures and breaching Thailand’s work laws. El Mon was falsely registered as the clinic’s general manager.

Subsequently, the police confiscated large amounts of medical equipment, a dozen medical devices, unregistered drugs, and 16 packages of cosmetics, estimated to be worth about 5 million baht in entirety.

The investigation is still in progress and it is likely that the foreign owners of the enterprise could face additional charges once more evidence comes to light, reports Bangkok Post.