Phuket police arrest 2 Canadians over alleged school nominees

2 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Stealing foreigner's properties and businesses - returning Thai land to the Thai people

Cobblers, no-one's properties or businesses are being stolen.

As a recently-retired teacher, I wonder what would happen if I were employed at this school. Would I also be breaking the law, unaware that my employer was operating an illegal business?

I was offered a job at a school in Phangan but 'sorry, no work permit provided'. In fact. although several schools on the island want to offer me employment (to teach Science), none of them can provide me with a work permit, stating that their allocation is 'used up'...

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Was the illegal and unregistered school doing a good job and charging reasonable fees? Were are the illegal teachers qualified? It's great that they got "dobbef".

check it out urself

55 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

That's false information, limited company records are publicly available.

how do u know what kind of company was set up?

As to being legit, it is not easy to get all the correct paperwork to open a school in Thailand.
The school has been around for awhile, its not a fly by night operation,
there is no way they could operate so openly, advertise and such if they weren't legit
Search for schools in rawai /chalong run by canadian's (Melissa , Dan - operation director, director- they have 6 kids at the school) and u will find their website.
there is only 1 that fits these criteria
I'm not going to risk being sued by posting the name here

BUT after u find them come back here and tell me they dont seem legit

I can only make a guess an say, palms were greased

Edited 21 hours ago21 hr by zzzzz

23 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

The school has been around for awhile, its not a fly by night operation,
there is no way they could operate so openly, advertise and such if they weren't legit

That works both ways -- the school could operate so openly because everyone thought it WAS legitimate until the officials pulled all the records together on who actually was the required Thai party and found out they were merely placeholder nominees:

Above: They also face allegations connected to jointly establishing and operating a private school without meeting the required Thai ownership or capital proportions.

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It's simpler than that - do not illegally invest your foreign capital in an illegal Thai venture in order to circumvent Thai law.

Not, not even legally invest in Thailand. 😂

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Cobblers, no-one's properties or businesses are being stolen.

They have been arrested and charged. Sentencing is next. Then, after that, deportation and black listing, and you don't think they are stealing businesses and properties. 😂

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Easy, the pupils go to a different school..

Not that easy. most schools are already enrolled and ready to start new session in one week. Maybe a few openings out there? And what about the money the parents have already paid for next sessions tuition. What a mess. Not easy.

29 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

They have been arrested and charged. Sentencing is next. Then, after that, deportation and black listing, and you don't think they are stealing businesses and properties. 😂

Who says that they going to be deported and blacklisted?

If they are convicted they will be given the opportunity to dispose of the property to Thais and, if they cannot do that within a specified time period, then they will lose the property to the state.

1 hour ago, zzzzz said:

how do u know what kind of company was set up?

The nominee companies that foreigners usually incorporate are limited companies.

42 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

Not, not even legally invest in Thailand. 😂

Carlsberg found that out the hard way.

1 hour ago, zzzzz said:

the illegal and unregistered school doing a good job and charging reasonable fees? Were are the illegal teachers qualified? It's great that they got "dobbef".

check it out urself

No thank you, I don't need to, it was a rhetorical question.

hopefully not the nutrition teacher

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Where was that reported, do you have a link?

Both my kids have gone to this school. That's how I know.

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Who says that they going to be deported and blacklisted?

The Thai government says. Announced at a meeting on the 14th July 26.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2026/07/14/cabinet-approves-thailands-first-deportation-regulations-identifying-six-grounds-for-removal/

The six grounds for removal, quoted from the article.

"They apply to foreign nationals who:

1. Enter or remain in Thailand illegally;

2. Work in Thailand in violation of laws governing foreign employment;

3. Conduct business in Thailand in violation of the Foreign Business Act;

4. Forge official documents or use forged government documents;

5. Commit an offence carrying a prison sentence of three years or more; or

6. Act as a principal, instigator or supporter of any of the above offences."

I would say these people have breached numbers 2, 3, and possibly 6.

Work permit breaches.

https://www.<removed>.com/thailand-work-permit-penalties-in-thailand/

2 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

Carlsberg found that out the hard way.

Cost the company around $120 million.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Both my kids have gone to this school. That's how I know.

not good news

8 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

not good news

Have gone, we're good.

11 hours ago, stevenl said:

Have gone, we're good.

What is going to happen to the kids going there now? School closed? I feel for the parents.

13 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Work permit breaches.

Offender	Type of Violation	Maximum Fine (THB)	Additional Legal Consequences
Foreign Worker	Working without a valid work permit	50,000	Deportation and 2-year re-entry ban
	Working outside the approved scope of permit	50,000	Same as above
Employer (1st Offence)	Hiring a foreigner without a permit or outside approved role	100,000 per worker	Potential business investigation
Employer (Repeat Offence)	Repeat hiring of foreigners illegally	200,000 per worker	Up to 1-year jail, 3-year ban on hiring foreigners
Employer (Negligence)	Failing to notify for urgent work or permit changes	100,000 (per violation)	May trigger inspection and blacklisting
Foreign Worker (No Permit on Hand)	Not carrying physical or digital copy of work permit	5,000	On-the-spot administrative fine
Employer or Landlord	Failing TM30 or 90-day report obligations	2,000 each	Fine imposed per report, not per foreigner
Foreign Worker (Overstay + Illegal Work)	Working illegally while overstaying visa	50,000+	Immediate deportation; up to 10-year re-entry ban depending on overstay duration

The first category and two lines about working without a WP or working outside the approved scope (meaning doing a different job for the employer or working for someone else) has bedeviled freelance foreign journalists, freelance foreign educators, and others who have professional skills that are considered legal occupations for foreigners, but who want to work for more than one place.

The Work Permits are inflexible - you are tied to one employer and one specific occupation. But if, say, you want to work as a substitue teacher at various schools, or a freelance journalist who wants to file reports to various international newspapers, TV etc., there is no legal way to do that. The Thai authorities need to make the WPs a bit more flexible for freelancers nd short-term contractors.

They should have opened a TORTA ACADEMY

1 hour ago, LivingNThailand said:

What is going to happen to the kids going there now? School closed? I feel for the parents.

Don't know yet. Many of the kids attending with mine have finished school, switched schools or left the island. I'll find out one of these days.

My daughter is attending a different school now, the year starts the 24th. I expect quite a few short notice applications.

On 8/7/2026 at 4:23 PM, unblocktheplanet said:

Okay, how much did they charge for tuition? What ages? Where they qualified teachers? Were the parents satisfied?

We could sure use better education in Thailand, no matter who provides it.

Regardless of fees, quality of teaching and depth of learning, would you send your kids to a school if it is founded and trading on a totally illegal business construct?

Judging by some of the previous comments on this thread by other members, maybe the social cache of having one's progeny attend an "international" school is more important?

In that regard, and bearing in mind the typically high fees charged for such an education, maybe the majority of students were from lower income, all-Thai families?

1 hour ago, LivingNThailand said:

What is going to happen to the kids going there now? School closed? I feel for the parents.

IF the school is forced to close

theres more than a few teachers that are F@ked as well
getting kids into another school will be costly, but can be done, even though classes start very soon.
But finding anohter job......;-((

-------------
"Regardless of fees, quality of teaching and depth of learning, would you send your kids to a school if it is founded and trading on a totally illegal business construct?

In that regard, and bearing in mind the typically high fees charged for such an education, maybe the majority of students were from lower income, all-Thai families?"

look at their website, one would assume there is zero problems with the school
it is NOT a cheap school at all and i bet the majority of students are half thai/half farang and wealthy thai

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by zzzzz

34 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

maybe the majority of students were from lower income, all-Thai families?

No, hardly any. Just a few, vast majority there is at least 50 percent foreign.

14 minutes ago, stevenl said:

No, hardly any. Just a few, vast majority there is at least 50 percent foreign.

A few Russian kids in there? it used to be, I remember the previous owner,

I did some reading up on the school's Website. So the two Canadians have 6 kids of their own attending the school(s). I feel quite sorry for them now. I honestly don't think that they believed they were doing anything wrong. I mean they even have a link to a FB page saying 'Meet the owners'. Who would do that if they were trying to run the place quietly in the background and trying to keep a low profile? I'm pretty certain a competitor ratted them out. If you look at Google map pf Phuket and search for International Schools the map fills up with many. I remember 20 years ago there were only a few international schools there. Big change. If they honestly thought they were doing everything correctly then they were hussled by some Thais - lawyers, "friends" .. now what happens to their six kids?

2 hours ago, ronnie50 said:

The first category and two lines about working without a WP or working outside the approved scope (meaning doing a different job for the employer or working for someone else) has bedeviled freelance foreign journalists, freelance foreign educators, and others who have professional skills that are considered legal occupations for foreigners, but who want to work for more than one place.

The Work Permits are inflexible - you are tied to one employer and one specific occupation. But if, say, you want to work as a substitue teacher at various schools, or a freelance journalist who wants to file reports to various international newspapers, TV etc., there is no legal way to do that. The Thai authorities need to make the WPs a bit more flexible for freelancers nd short-term contractors.

Sure, but the member asked, "Who says they are going to be deported and blacklisted?" I just posted the Thai laws. The can even go to prison.

These people are in a lot of trouble, not to mention how much money they are going to lose.

1 minute ago, KhunHeineken said:

Sure, but the member asked, "Who says they are going to be deported and blacklisted?" I just posted the Thai laws. The can even go to prison.

These people are in a lot of trouble, not to mention how much money they are going to lose.

Yeah. Naive for sure. But I think this will sow terror now in the farang business community. I always felt this 'crackdown' was aimed at foreigners running businesses here to get rid of some competition and less about the hassle of going after every foreign 'home owner', though they have done both.

11 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

I honestly don't think that they believed they were doing anything wrong.

The usual story. They engage the services of a Thai lawyer who is supposed to act in their interests. He / She says, "This is the way we do it in Thailand. It's been this way for decades."

They don't do any due diligence on the lawyer's advice, and because everyone else is doing it, they give the go ahead and start throwing money at Thailand.

They lose the lot, possibly even their freedom, with no consequences for the Thai lawyer who aided and abetted the commission of the crime.

Just more lambs to the slaughter here.

1 minute ago, KhunHeineken said:

The usual story. They engage the services of a Thai lawyer who is supposed to act in their interests. He / She says, "This is the way we do it in Thailand. It's been this way for decades."

They don't do any due diligence on the lawyer's advice, and because everyone else is doing it, they give the go ahead and start throwing money at Thailand.

They lose the lot, possibly even their freedom, with no consequences for the Thai lawyer who aided and abetted the commission of the crime.

Just more lambs to the slaughter here.

Yes for sure. There must have been other bad guidance given to them - maybe from their staff. The school wasn't registered. They can't have been so naive to not register with the Ministry or Department of Education - they must have known they need to be certified to even turn the lights on. So - again maybe - their senior staff said all was being taken care of. But it wasn't.