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Illegal Chinese tour guide arrested at Phuket's Ao Po Pier

Eakkapop Thongtub

 

Officials arrested Chinese man Yuanhua Li, 35, after he was unable to produce a valid license. Photo: Thalang District Office

 

PHUKET: A Chinese man was arrested yesterday (Dec 24) for working illegally in Thailand as a tour guide at Ao Po Pier in Pa Khlok.

 

Officials from Thalang District led by Thalang District Chief Adul Choothong and security officials led by Jiradet Burarak and Somporn Ontongin were conducting a Christmas and New Year security check at Ao Po pier.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/illegal-chinese-tour-guide-arrested-at-phuket-ao-po-pier-65267.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-12-25

[Srikcir]

Certainly without a valid license, Li was working illegally.

But if he held a valid license that was allowed by the government 2 years ago I believe, he would be legal.

"The arrest follows a protest by more than 30 Phuket tour guides, who are members of the Professional Tourist Guide Association of Thailand (PGA), at Promthep Cape on Dec 21, who were furious at the rapidly increasing numbers of illegal Chinese tour guides on the island."

Unless the PGA tour guides asked for Li's license, they really wouldn't know (and perhaps no right to know) whether he was legal or illegal. Chances are that they were reacting to Li's nationality.

[stevenl]

14 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Certainly without a valid license, Li was working illegally.

But if he held a valid license that was allowed by the government 2 years ago I believe, he would be legal.

"The arrest follows a protest by more than 30 Phuket tour guides, who are members of the Professional Tourist Guide Association of Thailand (PGA), at Promthep Cape on Dec 21, who were furious at the rapidly increasing numbers of illegal Chinese tour guides on the island."

Unless the PGA tour guides asked for Li's license, they really wouldn't know (and perhaps no right to know) whether he was legal or illegal. Chances are that they were reacting to Li's nationality.

Since Chinese can not legally be tourguides in Thailand, yes, they were most likely reacting to his nationality.

[Srikcir]

16 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Since Chinese can not legally be tourguides in Thailand

They can be.

[stevenl]

19 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

They can be.

AFAIK no, restricted profession.

[Srikcir]

4 minutes ago, stevenl said:

AFAIK no, restricted profession.

Apparently allowed:

"officials requested all guides operating at the pier to produce their tour guide licenses following standard government policy for suppressing illegal tour guides."

Also note officials did not ask for passports to establish citizenship.

Li was arrested only after he was unable to produce a valid license

[stevenl]

6 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Apparently allowed:

"officials requested all guides operating at the pier to produce their tour guide licenses following standard government policy for suppressing illegal tour guides."

Also note officials did not ask for passports to establish citizenship.

Li was arrested only after he was unable to produce a valid license

Yes, so?

 

Tourguide is a profession for Thais only. If he would have had a valid license that would have led to some interesting questions.

[Srikcir]

17 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Yes, so?

 

Tourguide is a profession for Thais only. If he would have had a valid license that would have led to some interesting questions.

Not apparently under current policy - although highly contested by the newly-established Association of Confederation of Thailand Tourist Guides.

 

A policy was initiated by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Thanasak Patimapragorn, who oversaw tourism affairs to allow foreign tour guides to work in the country as a contingent measure to solve a shortfall of local tour guides.

https://www.thephuketnews.com/foreign-tour-guides-under-fire-62959.php#pV8esuyWzlL4KPb7.99

Thanasak was retained in Prayut's December cabinet reshuffle as DPM. However, there is a new Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat whose background may sway Thanasak's policy.

https://www.thephuketnews.com/cabinet-revamp-brings-new-tourism-and-sports-minister-64867.php#aLPDyiPuL2AWkf6q.97

Note that as of September 2016 Thanasak was one of the Deputy Chiefs of the NCPO. NCPO policies have a tendency to overrule laws and regulations. If Li held a license, he was legal.

[stevenl]

13 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Not apparently under current policy - although highly contested by the newly-established Association of Confederation of Thailand Tourist Guides.

 

A policy was initiated by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Thanasak Patimapragorn, who oversaw tourism affairs to allow foreign tour guides to work in the country as a contingent measure to solve a shortfall of local tour guides.

https://www.thephuketnews.com/foreign-tour-guides-under-fire-62959.php#pV8esuyWzlL4KPb7.99

Thanasak was retained in Prayut's December cabinet reshuffle as DPM. However, there is a new Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat whose background may sway Thanasak's policy.

https://www.thephuketnews.com/cabinet-revamp-brings-new-tourism-and-sports-minister-64867.php#aLPDyiPuL2AWkf6q.97

Note that as of September 2016 Thanasak was one of the Deputy Chiefs of the NCPO. NCPO policies have a tendency to overrule laws and regulations. If Li held a license, he was legal.

That was just a plan, has not been made law. Tour guiding is at present still restricted to Thais. From your first link " the government's announced plan".

 

The only thing that did change relatively recently is that now it is allowed to have a 'sitting Thai guide', so the Thai guide is doing nothing but being present, while a non-Thai national, normally Chinese, does the actual guiding. But the Thai guide is still the official guide, and the Chinese is officially just assisting the Thai guide.

 

This 'sitting guide plan' is with watersports quite attractive for the guide: all he/she has to do is be present on the boat. Most go to sleep and do other work later, still receiving at least 1,000 baht per day.

Edited December 26, 2017 by stevenl

[Srikcir]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

That was just a plan, has not been made law.

Since when does the NCPO need to have a law passed to make policy?

 

[stevenl]

I give up, you don't want to believe the facts just because you're reading something in a news paper article that is never said in the article.

[balo]

There are plenty of Thai nationals who speaks fluent Chinese so no need for all this.