Phuket police seek trust of locals, announce 13 cases against foreigners
Thirteen cases against foreigners are being investigated, the Phuket Provincial Police said, in a bid to regain the trust of locals following uproar that they were often treated as second-class citizens.
The Facebook page of Phuket police announced on Wednesday that “Police are enforcing the law strictly in all areas in Phuket against crimes by tourists. Phuket people can trust us.”
After the uproar over a Thai female doctor being attacked by a Swiss businessman and the man’s wife claiming connections to senior police in Phuket, many locals complained that local police often turned a blind eye to illegal activities of wealthy foreigners who came to do business in Phuket.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Phuket Provincial Police Facebook page reported 13 cases against foreigners:
Patong Police Station: Two Russian women were arrested on prostitution charges in Tambon Patong of Krathu district.
– A Romanian man was arrested for offering tourism packages.
– Three Chinese men were arrested for working without a work permit.
Choeng Thalay Police Station: Three Russians were arrested for operating a vehicle rental business in tambon Cheong Thalay of Thalang district.
Krathu Police Station: An Australian was arrested for overstaying his visa and for escaping from a hospital without paying a medical bill of over 178,000 baht.
– A Russian man was arrested for opening a marijuana shop without a licence, charged with working without a permit and working in a job reserved for Thais.
Choeng Thalay Police Station: A Briton and three Myanmar women were arrested for working without a work permit.
Sakhu Police Station: A Russian was arrested while working as an interpreter at a money exchange shop without a work permit. He was also charged with overstaying his visa.
– Four Myanmar nationals were arrested at a condo construction site on charge of working without a permit.
Karon Police Station: An Australian man was arrested with an illegal drug classified as Category 4 narcotics.
Wichit Police Station: A Russian couple was arrested on charges of overstaying their visa.
– A Russian man was arrested for running a marijuana shop. He was charged with working without a permit and working in a job reserved for Thais.
Tha Chatchai police station: A Kazakh man was arrested for working as a driver without a work permit.
