Lebanese man becomes aggressive after arrest for illegal motorcycle rental shop
Foreign suspect previously deported for illegal water delivery business
A Lebanese man reportedly became aggressive towards police officers after he was arrested yesterday, October 14, for illegally operating a motorcycle rental shop on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province.
Officers at Koh Pha Ngan Police Station are continuing a crackdown on foreign nationals who are illegally operating businesses or working without permits on the island.
As part of the operation, police had been monitoring the 46 year old Lebanese suspect after discovering him providing services at a motorcycle rental shop set up in front of a Thai-owned business.
Further investigation revealed that the shop had no licence, and the man had entered Thailand on a tourist visa. He reportedly introduced himself to customers as Jean.
Officers raided the shop and found Jean assisting a foreign woman. Police requested his documents, confirming that he was on a tourist visa and did not hold a valid work permit. Officers seized 12 motorbikes of various brands and one car believed to have been used for the business.
Jean reportedly admitted that he contacted customers through an online application, presenting himself as the owner of the rental shop. He charged between 250 and 350 baht per day for motorbike rentals and said that his clients had mainly been Israeli tourists in recent months.
Police also questioned the Thai owner of the shop located behind Jean’s store. She admitted that she had previously been married to Jean but had divorced long ago.
Out of sympathy, she allowed him to use the front area of her shop for his business but insisted that she had no financial involvement or share in his profits.
Police revealed that Jean had previously been arrested in April 2024 for operating an illegal water delivery business. He was deported from Thailand at that time, but later re-entered the country on a tourist visa and resumed illegal business activities.
In the recent case, Jean was charged under Section 8 of the Foreigners’ Working Management Act for working without a permit. The offence carries penalties ranging from a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a two-year ban on applying for a work permit in Thailand.
He was also found to have violated the Foreign Business Act by operating a business without a permit. The penalty is up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of 100,000 to 1 million baht, or both.
When police escorted Jean to Koh Pha Ngan Police Station, he reportedly became aggressive and verbally abusive. He allegedly mocked officers and clapped his hands sarcastically while declaring that he would sue every official involved.
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