Illegal Tour Guides Nabbed at Temple of Emerald Buddha as Thai Police Clamp Down

[snoop1130]

 

Emerald Buddha’s sacred sanctuary in Bangkok turned into a site of controversy yesterday, as Thai Tourist Police arrested two Chinese nationals working unlawfully as tour guides. The two women, identified as 42-year-old Ji Xianlan and 32-year-old Na Xulan, were caught assisting tourists outside Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, flagrantly flaunting Thailand's stringent tourism regulations.

 

Believed to be working under a 'Sitting Guide' from a travel agency, the women were detained whilst escorting travellers within the temple's premises. The 'Sitting Guide' system, though a legal position in Thailand, often exploits linguistic loopholes for illegal benefits. State-licensed tour guides hire foreign nationals to help tourists who struggle with the Thai language—a practice prohibited by law.

 

Although the two Chinese women found themselves at the mercy of the law, the case of the sitting guide was conspicuously absent from the police report released on Channel 3.

 

 

Charged under Section 86 of the Tourist Business and Guide Act, Ji Xianlan and Na Xulan face potential sentences of up to one year in prison, fines reaching up to 100,000 Thai baht, or even both.

 

The indefatigable police pursuit reflects a concerted drive to root out all exploitative activities sullying Thailand’s lauded travel industry's appearance. Authorities have shifted their policing focus to monitoring the bustling tourist hubs in the capital city, resulting in the exposure of several unauthorised foreign guides.

 

This wave of law enforcement has ensnared several illegal tour operators. Just in September, Thai police detained an Indonesian guide illegally offering travel packages to 133 compatriots. As the country battles the taint on its tourism industry, stricter scrutiny and enforcement actions are anticipated to be the new order of the day.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-11-14