A Swiss man, who has been running a barber shop on Koh Phangan for nine years, was arrested for working in an occupation reserved for Thai nationals.
Tourist police and local officials apprehended 51-year-old Oliver Ehrat at the Oliver Twist Hair shop in Ban Tai on the tourist island on Tuesday.
An investigation revealed that the Oliver Twist Hair shop had been advertising hairstyling services by a Swiss barber on Facebook, with bookings available through WhatsApp.
During questioning, Mr. Ehrat informed the police that he had obtained a work permit to serve as the managing director of Oliver Twist Art Co. However, for the past nine years, he had been operating the Oliver Twist Hair salon, offering services priced between 500 and 4,000 baht.
He was charged with working in an occupation not permitted for foreign nationals and was handed over to officers at the Koh Phangan police station for legal proceedings.
