Chinese Nationals Arrested for Operating Illegal Thai Costume Rental Business

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture from arrest.

 

Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for operating an unauthorised Thai costume rental and makeup service near the renowned Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). The arrests were made following a tip-off regarding foreign nationals engaging in illegal activities.

 

On 27 February, Police Major General Prasart Khemprasith, head of Immigration Bureau 1, and Police Colonel Raphipat Utsaha, deputy chief of the bureau, coordinated with officials from the Department of Employment to investigate reports of illegal foreign employment in the Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok.

 

Acting on information that two Chinese individuals were running a costume rental shop and providing makeup services to tourists, police intensified efforts to enforce immigration laws, as directed by Police Lieutenant General Panumas Boonyalaksm, Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau.

 

Police, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Suriyah Pongsombat, conducted checks on six rental shops in the area, discovering one establishment operating illegally. The officers found two Chinese nationals working as makeup instructors without valid work permits.

 

The two individuals were taken into custody and are facing charges for working without a permit, in violation of Article 8 of the Royal Decree on the Management of Foreign Workers (2017) and subsequent amendments. The shop owner is also liable for hiring foreign workers without proper permits.

 

Under Thai law, foreign nationals working without a permit can face fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 baht and are subject to deportation without the possibility of obtaining a work permit for two years post-deportation. Employers who hire illegal foreign workers face fines between 10,000 and 100,000 baht per employee. Repeat offenders risk imprisonment for up to one year or fines between 50,000 and 200,000 baht per illegal worker, in addition to a three-year ban on hiring foreign nationals.

 

Authorities continue to urge the public to report any suspicious activities related to illegal foreign employment, especially in tourist areas, as they enhance efforts to combat this issue.

 

-- 2025-02-28

 

[hotchilli]

On 2/28/2025 at 4:39 AM, Georgealbert said:

The arrests were made following a tip-off regarding foreign nationals engaging in illegal activities.

So information given, not real police work.

[khunjeff]

On 2/28/2025 at 4:39 AM, Georgealbert said:

Two Chinese nationals have been arrested for operating an unauthorised Thai costume rental and makeup service near the renowned Wat Phra Kaew

 

Except that they weren't operating a costume rental business at all - they were just (illegal) employees at a shop operated by a Thai owner. But perhaps the police thought it would sound more impressive if they claimed they had busted a foreign-run business...

 

On 2/28/2025 at 4:39 AM, Georgealbert said:

The officers found two Chinese nationals working as makeup instructors without valid work permits.

 

On 2/28/2025 at 4:39 AM, Georgealbert said:

The shop owner is also liable for hiring foreign workers without proper permits.