Police bust 5 illegal tour guides working for Israeli-Thai couple on Koh Pha Ngan
Further investigation focuses on couple behind unlicensed adventure tours
Police arrested five illegal tour guides for offering ATV trips to foreigners on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province and launched a further investigation into an Israeli man and his Thai wife, who are alleged to be behind the illegal business.
Officers from the Koh Phangan Tourist Police and the Immigration Office monitored the area near the entrance to an unfinished airport on Thong Nang-Thong Nai Pan Road. They spotted five tour guides taking foreign tourists on ATV trips.
The group was stopped for further investigation, which revealed that all five tour guides were operating without a licence. Officers halted the trip and seized 11 ATVs before questioning each suspect.
At the time of arrest, 15 foreign tourists were on six vehicles. Each tourist had paid 2,000 baht for the service. Tourists who booked tours with the company are entitled to a full refund.
The five suspects were identified as: a 19 year old Thai man who was the tour guide leader, a 39 year old Thai man, a 53 year old Thai man, a 26 year old Burmese man, and a 25 year old Burmese man. The two Burmese nationals did not hold either a tour guide licence or work permits.
The head guide admitted he was hired to lead ATV tours for a company, earning a monthly salary of 15,000 baht. His duties included explaining and demonstrating how to use the ATVs, distributing and assisting tourists with safety gear, and driving ahead to lead foreign clients on trips.
The three Thai nationals were charged under Section 86 of the Tourism Business and Guide Act for operating as tour guides without a licence. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.
The Burmese suspects face the same punishment and additional charges for working in the country without a permit. The penalty is a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a two-year ban on applying for a work permit under Section 8 of the Foreigners’ Working Management Act.
Further investigation revealed that the company employing the illegal tour guides was registered under a Thai woman’s name, who has an Israeli husband. Its services mainly target Israeli tourists, with shop signs and advertising in Hebrew and bookings handled primarily through an app.
Following a report from Hone Krasae, it is unclear whether the woman and her Israeli husband were present at the scene or the company office.
Nevertheless, police are looking to file charges against them for employing foreigners without work permits and hiring foreigners to operate as tour guides illegally.
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