Several foreigners were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly operating a daycare facility and a wakeboarding service center on Koh Phangan.
Tourist police reported that a 26-year-old Russian woman and an 18-year-old Myanmar woman were apprehended at a house where they were receiving foreign children for daycare.
The Russian woman admitted to working at the facility for three months while staying in the country on a tourist visa. The Myanmar woman stated that she had been employed there as a helper for over a year. Both women claimed they were hired by a Belarusian woman, whom the police are currently searching for.
In a separate operation, police raided Back & Forth Wake Park, a wakeboarding service center on the southern tourist island. A Russian man was arrested for illegally operating the shop, which had been in business since December last year. He was also found to be in the country on a tourist visa.
During the raid, the Russian man was discovered hiring a Ukrainian man and a Moldovan man to build restrooms at the facility.
The four foreigners were charged with illegal employment. The Myanmar woman faced additional charges for failing to report her employment and workplace.
Tourist police pose with the Russian woman, seated, who was arrested on Koh Phangan, Surat Thani, on Wednesday. (Photo: police)
