Police Arrest Five Foreigners in Koh Phangan in Drug, Firearm and Immigration Crackdown
SURAT THANI — Five foreign nationals were arrested in three separate incidents on Koh Phangan on Thursday, as tourist police intensified enforcement operations against illegal activity to safeguard the island’s reputation and public safety.
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Acting on the directive of the Tourist Police Bureau Commissioner, authorities carried out coordinated raids in tambon Koh Phangan, leading to arrests linked to illegal employment, visa overstay, drug possession and firearms.
In the first case, officers responded to complaints of loud construction noise at a residence in Moo 3. Upon inspection, they found a 45-year-old Dutch man, identified as M. V. D. B., employing a 36-year-old Myanmar national, T. T. Z., as a carpenter for 500 baht a day. Authorities charged the Dutchman with unlawfully hiring a foreigner for a restricted job category and failing to report employment to officials within 15 days. The Myanmar worker faces charges for working outside the scope of his legal permit.
Coming soon to Koh Phangan 🏝️🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/4mC5xFaLJ5
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In a second incident, police arrested a 56-year-old British woman, T. C. F., in Moo 1 after being alerted that she had not left her residence for a long period. Immigration checks revealed she had overstayed her visa by an extraordinary 1,880 days.
In the third case, tourist police on patrol in Moo 8 detained a 16-year-old Myanmar national, L. M. W., who attempted to flee upon seeing officers. A search turned up a methamphetamine pill, which he said was given to him by a friend. Further investigation of his mobile phone revealed images of drugs and firearms, prompting a raid on a nearby house in Moo 1. There, police arrested M. K. A. H., 25, also from Myanmar. Officers confiscated another meth pill, three shotgun shells, and six .22 calibre bullets.
Authorities say the crackdown is part of an ongoing campaign to root out foreign nationals involved in illegal activities on the island, which remains a popular destination for international tourists.
-Thailand News (TN)
