Egyptian man arrested for illegally working as barber in Phuket

Police arrested an Egyptian man in Phuket yesterday, January 12, for illegally working as a barber after he was caught providing services to a foreign customer.

Officers from Patong Police Station acted on a complaint from a local resident who reported that a foreign national was operating a barbershop on Phang Mueang Sai Kor Road in the Patong sub-district of Kathu district. Under Thai law, barbering is a protected occupation reserved exclusively for Thai nationals.

Police raided the shop yesterday and found a 34 year old Egyptian national, identified only as Ebrahem, in the middle of giving a haircut to a foreign customer. During questioning, Ebrahem admitted that he was the owner of the barbershop.

According to police, Ebrahem told officers that he had been living in Phuket for more than 10 years, but had only started operating the barbershop around two years ago.

The Egyptian man was charged under Section 7 of the Foreigners’ Working Management Act for working illegally in a restricted occupation. The offence carries penalties including a fine ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a two-year ban on applying for a Thai work permit.

Authorities said the arrest was part of ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal employment by foreign nationals in occupations reserved for Thais.

In a similar crackdown reported in Bangkok in October last year, police raided a barbershop in the Sukhumvit area and arrested eight foreign suspects for illegal business operations and drug-related offences. The shop was reportedly being used as a front for drug sales.

In September last year, a Burmese man was arrested for working illegally as a barber on Koh Pha Ngan, where he reportedly earned nearly 50,000 baht per month. Police also found that he had entered and remained in Thailand without permission.

Another salon raid in August last year led to the arrest of seven Chinese nationals working as barbers in Bangkok, while a separate crackdown in January resulted in four South Korean nationals being arrested for working illegally as hairdressers.

Authorities also uncovered foreigners working illegally in other restricted professions, including tour guides, construction workers, and teachers. Some were found running businesses without proper licences or using Thai nominees to operate businesses prohibited to foreign ownership.