The Dutchman, named by police as Roslan Benedia, was tracked down by national park officials to a coffee shop in Soi Ta-ied, Chalong, at 3:30pm yesterday (Aug 15), said Lt Col Ekachai Siri of the Phuket Tourist Police.
The national park officers became aware of the incident after Mr Roslan posted a video of his fishing exploits on TikTok, showing Mr Roslan holding two parrotfish, three unknown fish, and stabbing a moray eel in the head with a knife.
The video, which has since been removed from online, spurred outrage among Thai netizens and gained the attention of Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, who vowed to track down the culprit.
Mr Roslan told park officials yesterday that on Aug 9 he rented a boat from Phi Phi Don to Phi Phi Lei with Krishna Thodting as the boat captain.
He had rented the speargun from an operator on Phi Phi Don Island. Mr Krishna took him to hunt fish at Phi Phi Lei at about 1pm, he said.
Mr Roslan said that he did not know that the area where he was fishing was a national park area.
Officers at Phi Phi Police Station are gathering evidence with the intent of charging him for fishing illegally in protected national park waters, officers confirmed.
The boat operator, boat captain Mr Krishna charters and the speargun rental provider are all also under investigation.
Lt Col Ekachai said that so far Mr Roslan had been brought in for questioning only. At this stage, no charges have been pressed, he said.
Marine officials ramped up their efforts to protect marine life in protected areas in 2017, and began to levy heavy fines for transgressions.
Olga Smirnova, a 53-year-old Russian grandmother, spent two nights behind bars at Chalong Police Station after she was caught feeding bread to fish at Racha Yai Island, south of Phuket.
She was eventually released after a ‘friend’ posted B100,000 bail.
In the end, following the involvement of the Russian Consulate-General in Phuket, Ms Smirnova was fined B1,000 and allowed to go home.
Ms Smirnova’s case followed a Chinese tourist being fined B100,000 for having two parrotfish in a plastic bottle at Racha Yai.
Signs have been posted at Racha Yai informing visitors of the consequences of interfering with marine life in protected areas, including coral reefs.