Task Force Raids Illegal Childcare Facility Operated by Foreigners on Koh Phangan

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

Authorities on Koh Phangan have conducted a raid on an illegal childcare facility operated by a group of foreigners, leading to the arrest of multiple individuals from Russia, Ukraine, and Myanmar.

 

On 28 January, Police Captain Charoenchai Boongliang of the Surat Thani Provincial Investigation Unit, along with a special operations task force, immigration officers from Koh Phangan, local police, and administrative officials, launched an operation targeting the unlicensed childcare centre known as “Coolscool,” located at 102/1 Moo 4, Ban Tai Subdistrict, Koh Phangan. The raid forms part of a broader campaign to tackle illegal activities involving foreign nationals, including unauthorised work and cross-border crimes.

 

The operation was initiated under the directive of Police Lieutenant General Surapong Thanomjit, Commander of Provincial Police Region 8, who has prioritised the crackdown on illegal immigration and unauthorised employment to maintain safety and security on the island, as well as to support the local tourism economy.

 

During the raid, eight individuals were apprehended and charged with various offences:

 

1. Ms Olga Lagutova (46) - Russian national, charged with working without a permit.

 

2. Ms Elizaveta Nikolaeva (40) - Russian national, charged with working without a permit.

 

3. Mr Pavel Cheliadin (41) - Russian national, charged with working without a permit.

 

4. Mr Aleksei Kostiakov (45) - Russian national, charged with working without a permit.

 

5. Ms Tetiana Aleksieienko (50) - Ukrainian national, charged with working without a permit.

 

6. Ms Aye Yu Maw (40) - Myanmar national, charged with failing to notify authorities about her employer, workplace, or job description within the legally mandated 15-day period after starting work.

 

7. Ms Margarita Khantemirova (42) - Russian national, charged with establishing and operating an unlicensed childcare facility, unauthorised business operations, employing foreign workers without work permits, and failing to notify authorities about employing foreign workers.

 

8. Mr Oleksandr Lipes (43) - Ukrainian national, charged with overstaying his visa by 1,086 days, working without a permit, establishing and operating an unlicensed childcare facility, unauthorised business operations, employing foreign workers without permits, and failing to notify authorities about employment.

 

This enforcement action was stated as part of a province-wide initiative aimed at ensuring the safety of both residents and tourists by addressing illegal activities involving foreign nationals. The campaign is particularly focused on unregistered businesses and unauthorised employment, which pose risks to public safety and undermine the local economy.

 

Following the arrests, all suspects were transferred to Koh Phangan Police Station for further investigation and legal proceedings.

 

-- 2025-01-29

 

 

[thesetat]

good to get these people out. How dare they open and work at an unlicensed and unregistered child care facility. 

[JoePai]

The sad part is they could be offering far better schooling to the foreign kids than the local schools can offer

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, thesetat said:

good to get these people out. How dare they open and work at an unlicensed and unregistered child care facility. 

Holiday is over... bye bye.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, JoePai said:

The sad part is they could be offering far better schooling to the foreign kids than the local schools can offer

In Russian..

[billd766]

I might be able to understand it, IF running a child care centre for foreign children really did affect the maintenance of safety and security on the island as described by General Surapong Thanomjit, Commander of Provincial Police Region 8.

 

Of course the children may have been under training to annex Phuket and declare it a colony of Russia un 20 or so years time.

 

Of course, there are no signs of a replacement child care centre run by Thais who are fluent in the Russian, Ukrainian, and Myanmar languages.

[NicoBKK]

Nice to see Russians and Ukrainians working together.

[khunPer]

Sounds like an old Koh Phangan news-story from last year – or perhaps it's just some, not reading the news and therefor aware of that it is illegal to work without a permit and correct company set-up...

[Watawattana]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

In Russian..

Or Ukrainian!  Oh the irony...

[LukKrueng]

Look at the positive part of the story - Russians and Ukrainians working together!

[Thingamabob]

Such brave boys in the RTP, raiding a child care centre. Next on the list maternity homes and kindergartens ?

[MicroB]

On 1/29/2025 at 9:42 AM, LukKrueng said:

Look at the positive part of the story - Russians and Ukrainians working together!

 

 

Its possibles the "Ukrainian" had entered Thailand on a Ukrainian passport, and is from the Donbass. He's been in Thailand over 2.5 years. In that time, Luhansk and Donetsk, and the inhabitants became Russian. He might be one of the turncoats. Lipes is a Yiddish name.

[simon43]

On 1/29/2025 at 8:26 AM, JoePai said:

The sad part is they could be offering far better schooling to the foreign kids than the local schools can offer

It's not just the foreign/western kids that suffer.  The informal school for the children of Burmese workers on KP was raided and 4 Burmese teachers arrested (this is the school where I previously taught English and Thai as an 'illegal' volunteer).

 

These Burmese kids can't attend the government school because many of them don't understand enough Thai language.  They all want to improve their Thai language skills.  The informal school can't become legally 'formal' because they will have to employ 4 Thais for every non-Thai worker, which doesn't really work when you need to speak Burmese to do your job!  I can't become a legal volunteer because the volunteer visa is only available for those working for a registered NGO.  Ho hum.... stupid catch-22.