Swiss scandal sparks crackdown on unruly farangs in Thailand

The scandal involving a Swiss man assaulting a Thai doctor in Phuket prompted authorities to initiate a massive crackdown on illegal foreigners and farangs behaving badly in Thailand. In total, nearly 30 foreigners were arrested during the past weeks.

Following the physical assault on a Thai doctor outside the luxury villa of a Swiss man, locals in Phuket demanded that relevant authorities return justice to the locals and expel all illegal foreigners who have been depriving Thais of job opportunities, operating illegal businesses, or attempting to dominate the local population.

Phuket Provincial Police then initiated a widespread crackdown across the province, resulting in the arrest of nearly 30 illegal foreigners, as reported on Nation TV. Most of the foreign suspects were charged with working illegally and running businesses without licenses.

Patong Police Station officers, on March 4, apprehended two Russian women at a hotel in the Katu district for illegally providing sex services. The other three Russian men were arrested on March 5 for employing foreigners without work permits and working illegally at a car rental shop in Thalang district.

On March 6, Phuket Tourist Police arrested a Romanian man in the Katu district for running a travel agency without a license and a Russian man for running an illegal money exchange shop. Officers from the Karon Police Station nabbed a Swedish man, 57 year old Sten, for working at a bar without permission on the same day.

Chalong Police Station officers also reported the successful operation yesterday, March 7, when they apprehended two Russian women for working without permits. The two suspects, 38 year old Fedorova Iuliia and 26 year old Burkevich Aryna, were found working at a souvenir store owned by Thaiko Natural Health company.

Tourist Police officers, on the same day, charged a 34 year old Englishman, Ryan Ashley Horner, at a car park of Phra Yai Temple in Phuket for working as a tour guide without a license and engaging in a prohibited occupation limited to Thai citizens only.

Another foreigner, a 51 year old Kazakh woman named Yekaterina, was detained for illegally providing transport services in the province, reportedly advertising her service on a Russian-language website.

According to Nation TV, more foreigners were charged in the past weeks including:

• Katu Police Station
  • An Australian man: evading payment of about 180,000 baht for hospital treatment and overstaying his visa.
  • A Russian man: working in a prohibited occupation at a cannabis shop.
• Wichit Police Station
  • A Russian man and woman: overstaying their visas.
  • A Russian man: working in a prohibited occupation at a cannabis shop and selling untaxed products
• Cherng Talay Police Station
  • An Englishman: working in a different occupation from the one declared to the authorities.
  • Three Burmese women: working in a different occupation from the one declared to the authorities.
• Saku Police Station
  • Four Burmese women: illegally entering the Kingdom and working illegally at a condominium construction site.
• Karon Police Station
  • An Australian man: possessing a drug (diazepam) under Category 4.
• Patong Police Station
  • Three Chinese men: working without permits.
  • A Czech man: illegally entering Thailand.