German and Canadian charged for illegal kung fu course (video)

Police arrested a German and a Canadian man for illegally conducting a Shaolin kung fu training course on Koh Pha Ngan, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani.

Pha Ngan Tourist Police and Immigration Police arrested 37 year old German man Somphet Daoheuang and a 34 year old Canadian man Arbely Natalie Rubalcava Rojo at a yoga training centre on Koh Pha Ngan on Saturday, March 30.

The arrest was made after the martial arts course, called the Shaolin Experience, was advertised on social media platforms. Officers checked the course schedule and conducted a raid.

During the raid, officers found a group of foreigners practicing kung fu under the supervision of Daoheuang. The officers made no mention of the Canadian’s duties.

Daoheuang confessed that an unnamed company hired him to run Shaolin kung fu training at the yoga centre. The course was offered in two rounds, from 8am to 11am and from 2pm to 5pm. Each participant had to pay 9,000 baht for the course and he shared 40% of the revenue with the company.

According to Channel 3, Daoheuang and Rojo were charged with working without a permit. The charge carries a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation and a ban on applying for a work permit for two years.

In a similar report last week, a Polish yoga instructor was arrested for illegally offering yoga classes on Koh Pha Ngan, charging his clients between US$400 and US$600, or about 14,500 and 21,800 baht.

Earlier in March, an American woman was arrested in Koh Pha Ngan for running an unlicensed nursery. During a raid on her nursery, officers arrested seven other foreigners for working illegally at the site.

One Ukrainian and two Israeli women were working as kindergarten teachers, while four Burmese women were working as maids. The Burmese nationals were also charged with entering Thailand illegally.