Indian cooks busted for illegal work on Phuket luxury boat
Marine police swoop on Chalong Pier as trio caught cooking without permits
A Phuket luxury boat outing turned sour when police swooped on Chalong Pier and arrested three Indian nationals caught illegally working as cooks on board.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) confirmed that officers from the Marine Police Division carried out the sting as part of a crackdown on illegal employment around the pier.
The suspects, identified by police only as 29 year old Kumar, 34 year old Honey, and 20 year old Armanjot, were found in the vessel’s kitchen preparing food when officers boarded and demanded to see their papers.
According to police, all three men were able to present only passports and could not produce valid work permits. When pressed, they admitted they had been hired by a man identified only as Rikhi to cook Indian food for paying guests. Each was reportedly paid 700 baht for their work.
The CIB confirmed that the trio were immediately taken into custody and charged under Section 8 of the Alien Employment Management Act (No. 2) 2018, which prohibits foreigners from working without permits.
“Evidence of the arrest, including still images and video, has been submitted to investigators at Chalong Police Station. Legal proceedings are now underway.”
The crackdown at Chalong Pier is part of an ongoing effort to curb unlicensed foreign workers across Phuket, where luxury yachts and charter boats are a key draw for tourists. Police have long warned operators against hiring undocumented crew, stressing that penalties apply to both the workers and those who employ them.
Marine police did not disclose further details about Rikhi, but said their investigation into the case is continuing, reported The Phuket News.
The arrests have reignited debate over illegal labour in Thailand’s tourism hotspots, where foreign nationals often seek cash-in-hand jobs without proper documentation. Police say such practices not only violate labour laws but also undermine safety standards and reduce opportunities for legal workers.
For the three cooks, what was meant to be a quick payday has instead landed them in custody, facing fines, deportation, and the possibility of a ban from re-entering Thailand.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
