Cable chaos: Trio busted for illegal TV scheme in Phuket

Phuket Tourist Police nabbed two Chinese nationals and one Myanmar national for working illegally on an audacious cable installation operation to provide Chinese TV channels in Phuket Town.

Acting on an anonymous tip-off, officers swooped on the roof of an apartment building on Yaowarat Road, catching the five foreigners red-handed. Thai national Sittichai Klapdee, who was present at the scene, confessed to overseeing the workers. He admitted to picking them up each morning and dropping them off each night.

The officers discovered that the foreigners were installing cable systems to broadcast Chinese TV channels. Among the workers, Chinese nationals 29 year old Wang Hao and 49 year old Zhang Shaowen, along with 22 year old Myanmar national Chit Ko Oo, were caught without valid work permits. The trio were promptly taken to Phuket Tourist Police headquarters for questioning and verification of their visa statuses.

Wang entered Thailand on a tourist visa on May 18, valid until June 16. Zhang arrived on May 4, with his visa expiring on June 2. Both men, speaking through a Chinese interpreter, confessed to having worked for about two days, earning a promised salary of 40,000 baht per month, to be paid via WeChat from Bangkok-based Yong Thong Company.

Myanmar national Chit legally entered Thailand on May 2. Through an interpreter, he revealed that he had been working on the job for nine days, earning 15,000 baht monthly, paid by Wang.

All three foreigners admitted to working without the necessary permits, reported Phuket News.

They were subsequently transferred to Phuket City Police Station and charged with illegal employment.

In related news, Thai immigration officers cracked down on immigrant workers allegedly encroaching on local professions in Bangkok’s bustling Ratchathewi district.

Thai immigration officers, alongside immigration police and Phaya Thai police, disclosed a meticulously planned operation aimed at eliminating immigrant workers accused of infringing upon the livelihoods of Thai locals without proper authorisation.