Phuket Tourist Police arrest illegal foreign tour guides

A crackdown on illegal tour guides in Phuket led to the arrest of two foreign nationals. Police charged a 35 year old Ukrainian and a 31 year old stateless individual of highland origin, both accused of operating without proper permits.

Phuket Tourist Police, under directives from the National Police Office, has intensified efforts to purge the province of unauthorised tour guides, particularly in major tourist destinations. This move is part of a broader enforcement of regulations governing the tourism industry to ensure compliance with Thai law.

The operation, involving units from Tourist Police Division 3 (Phuket and Phang Nga), resulted in the detention of Ihor Shchedrov, a Ukrainian national, near the parking lot of an elephant camp on Wiset Road, Rawai, in Phuket.

He was apprehended for acting as a tour guide without the necessary license as stipulated by the Tour Business and Guide Act B.E. 2551 (2008) and its amendment, the Tour Business and Guide Act (No. 2) B.E. 2559 (2016). Additionally, Shchedrov was charged with working in a capacity beyond his visa privileges, reported KhaoSod.

The second individual detained, Fawang Saeluy, was found operating in the Talad Yai area of Phuket. Saeluy, a stateless person from the highlands, was similarly arrested for working without a work permit and for guiding tours without authorization, violating the same legal provisions. Both suspects were taken into custody and their cases have been submitted to the respective local police stations—Chalong and Phuket City—for further legal proceedings.

A similar event was reported last year. The Department of Employment had arrested two foreign nationals for illegally working as tour guides in Bangkok. They faced charges and potential deportation for violating work permit regulations.

The two foreign nationals were arrested by the Department of Employment (DoE) for illegally working as tour guides in Bangkok. They were caught near the Ratchaprasong intersection in the Pathumwan district.

The suspects, a Chinese and a Vietnamese national, were detained after the Professional Tourist Guide Association of Thailand (PGAT) lodged complaints last week that foreign tour guides were stealing their jobs.