The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), through its Marine Police Division (MPD), announced that the suspect, identified only as ‘Mr Lapa’, was taken into custody while actively guiding foreign tourists preparing to board a boat for an Andaman Sea excursion.
The arrest followed a tip-off received by Phuket Marine Police officers (Sub-Division 3, Division 8) that a foreign national was illegally working as a tour guide at a pier in Phuket. Officers conducted surveillance and gathered evidence before moving in to make the arrest.
While the CIB and the Marine Police confirmed that ‘Mr Lapa’ was arrested yesterday (Jan 7), both agencies did not report the place of Mr Lapa’s arrest.
According to police, officers observed Mr Lapa picking up tourists arriving by van, assisting them with registration and wristband distribution, and escorting them to a waiting area. He was also seen explaining the tour programme and providing guidance to the tourists prior to boarding the vessel.
Marine Police officers then identified themselves and conducted an inspection. Mr Lapa was unable to produce either a passport or a valid work permit, presenting only a photograph of a passport page stored on his mobile phone, police said.
Further checks revealed that the document Mr Lapa was holding at the time was a job order, but his name did not appear on it. Officers also consulted the Immigration Bureau’s database, which showed that Mr Lapa was permitted to stay in Thailand under immigration category P.60 ‒ a status that does not allow employment.
Police said registration staff at the pier confirmed that Mr Lapa was not authorised to work as part of the tour operation.
During initial questioning, the suspect admitted that he had been working at the pier approximately twice a week, primarily assisting Russian tourists. He also acknowledged that on some occasions he had travelled on tour boats together with the tourists.
Mr Lapa was subsequently taken to Phuket City Police Station, where he was formally charged with working without a work permit and working as a tour guide without permission.
The CIB reiterated that tour guiding is a protected profession under Thai law and warned that strict legal action will continue to be taken against foreign nationals found working illegally in Phuket.