Illegal wedding photographers snapped up in Phuket Town

[webfact]

Illegal wedding photographers snapped up in Phuket Town
Phuket Gazette


The photographers charged 1,500 baht per couple to take photographs in scenic Phuket locales. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Two wedding photographers were caught working without work permits yesterday after police were tipped off by a pair of Thai wedding photographers.

Chinese photographers Bolin Zhu and Jing Wang, both 27, were taking pre-wedding photographs of a couple on Soi Romanee in Phuket Town when police arrived at the scene.

“We asked them to show us their work permits, but they were unable to produce them, so we took both men to the Phuket Immigration Office for questioning,” said Phuket Immigration Inspector Tianchai Chompoo.

Mr Bolin and Mr Jing told police that they charged 1,500 baht per couple to shoot photographs in scenic Phuket locations, Maj Tianchai said.

Both men confessed to working without a work permit and were taken to Phuket City Police Station.

They each face a fine of up to 100,000 baht, five years in jail or both. They may also be deported within 30 days, tMaj Tianchai said.

In February, two Chinese wedding photographers, a Chinese makeup artist and the owner of a Phuket photography studio that specialized in Chinese wedding photographs were arrested for working without work permits while shooting pre-wedding photos in Old Town Phuket (story here).

— Kritsada Muanhawong

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Illegal-wedding-photographers-snapped-in-Phuket-Town/29514#ad-image-0


-- Phuket Gazette 2014-05-22

[clockman]

Mean while, real criminals are protected. By the B.I.B.

[Patje]

Glad to see these "gangsters" will not make Phuket unsafe in the future !!!

[transam]

Wish I could ear a few baht from a phone............

[dudopode]

100.000 B?!?!?!??! and it is 500 B if you let some kids drown in front of you????

it is more than time to update the law

[laurentbkk]

They each face a fine of up to 100,000 baht, five years in jail or both. They may also be deported within 30 days, tMaj Tianchai said.

Killing a cop is so much cheaper ..... killing people in car accident also ...... double justice ....

[Thai at Heart]

Wow, its tough on those streets

[ThaidDown]

I'm waiting for the two photographers to claim that they were framed.

Anyway let's see how this develops, maybe it need a fixer to sort it out..

[Arkady]

A Bt100k fine and/or 5 years in prison are the maximum penalties. First time offenders will usually be fined only and the amount will depend on the offence. Musicians arrested jamming in a bar in Chiang Mai a couple of years back were fined B1,000 each. People obviously working in full time jobs could be fined up to Bt60k for a first offence. I know someone who was caught in a random raid in a Bangkok office building and fined B40k some years ago. But the judge warned him he would jail him for 6 months and order deportation after his sentence, if he was caught again.

Can't blame the Thais for arresting them. The Chinese would throw the book at Thai photographers doing the same thing in China.

[VocalNeal]

Photography is on the list Isn't it.

[shirtless]

As usual they believe they dont need to pay for the correct visa or work permit, yet want to make money here, do things correctly and have no issues seems like this is to difficult they just ruin it for everybody else.

[Johnnie99]

A Bt100k fine and/or 5 years in prison are the maximum penalties. First time offenders will usually be fined only and the amount will depend on the offence. Musicians arrested jamming in a bar in Chiang Mai a couple of years back were fined B1,000 each. People obviously working in full time jobs could be fined up to Bt60k for a first offence. I know someone who was caught in a random raid in a Bangkok office building and fined B40k some years ago. But the judge warned him he would jail him for 6 months and order deportation after his sentence, if he was caught again. Can't blame the Thais for arresting them. The Chinese would throw the book at Thai photographers doing the same thing in China.

Throw the book, a few bullets and a year or two in the local Gulag.

[thamteak]

100.000 B?!?!?!??! and it is 500 B if you let some kids drown in front of you????

A 19 yr old Thai man stabbed a 71 year old Swiss man for brushing past him in the street about 3 months ago. He was fined 500b and released.

Just put it through Google.

[bangon04]

You see... if you hand the Royal Thai Police all the evidence they need on a plate, and the target is a foreigner, then they do act decisively.. Some good news at last...

[outsider]

A friend of mine wanted to have some wedding shots in BKK, so he brought his own photographer from his home country and had the shoot done. A Thai friend was with them, and they also engaged a local make-up artist - much cheaper than to fly one in. The only difference between them and tourists going around shooting photographs of themselves in city is that my friend has a jacket on and the wife had some sort of a gown (not one of those full-blown bridal affair with a tail the length of the Amazon). No elaborate set up, nothing. Reason for my story is, was that illegal? Should my friend's photgrapher apply for a permit before he came to BKK?

Back then (it was about three-four years ago) they asked me the same question and I said I don't think so. I asked some of my Thai photographer friends and they too said no need, because my friend's photographer didn't set up shop here and there were no transactions to be done in Thailand. They were also not shooting anything of 'commercial value' i.e. it's not a commercial advertisement or a movie. I mean, I could dress up as a clown and have a non-Thai friend take a picture of me in a public place, and that's not illegal, right? By the way it's history now, but I just want to know if what he did was on the wrong side of the law.

Oh and in case some of you ask why didn't I help to engage a Thai photographer for my friend instead, it's because my friend and his photographer are actually business partners - as in, they have a small-time photo studio back in their home country, so he figured better to have money change from left to right hand, than to go to someone else.

Edited May 22, 2014 by outsider

[star kicker]

victimless crime clearly a priority for thai police.

[Greg Nixon]

Too many people working illegally in Thailand. 400 prostitutes from Russia sponsored by the Russian mafia. How many foreign pimps have been here for years ? gathering in their "buddies " for a roll in the hay. Hopefully the army will correct more of these inconsistencies. If the top people have been corrupt then the followers see it as a free for all.

[Greg Nixon]

victimless crime clearly a priority for thai police.

It is not victimless when Thai people fail to make a decent living because their work is taken by some foreigner. So who are you victimiising?

[Thakkar]

The Boys In Brown: keeping the country safe from rogue photographers.

Finally, freed from fear, will be able to sleep soundly at night.

T

[Grindting]

How are the Chinese tourists who want wedding photos meant to employ a thai to take them when 1. They won't be able to speak thai and follow the photographers directions, or 2. The Chinese tourists can't speak English very well to communicate either

Thailand want people to come to their country for holidays and weddings etc spending their money but they don't put forth the services. If there was a thai photographer who was fluent in Chinese I'm sure they'd go to him

So how can it be stealing a thai's job if there isn't a thai to do it? There should be a new list of jobs that will be legal for foreigners in tourist areas, If the Thais aren't able to perform them. There is clearly a demand for the Chinese photographers

[IsaanUSA]

Seems like most posters in this thread support illegal overseas workers.

[ChoakMyDee]

Good, they should round up all the illegal workers and toss them out...after a huge fine of course. Go after the illegal workers, not the border runners.

[thamteak]

victimless crime clearly a priority for thai police.

It most certainly is not a victimless crime.

The victims are the Thai photographers that could be employed to do the shoot.

It doesn't matter that they might not be as good, have a total language barrier, and just be total idiots. They are victims because the foreigners are being paid money that they, the Thais, could. nay should, be being paid.

This is quite serious, a Thai losing money to a foreign compeditor, arrests need to be made.

[Grindting]

Seems like most posters in this thread support illegal overseas workers.

And your country wouldn't even function without illegal overseas workers

[Dumu Ali]

thousands of Rohingya and Burma work in Puket with no passport no visa and no working permits

damn it even I dont have a work permit but I got a visa at least so I am 66% legal so far

I do not even know how I could get a work permit

This thread is toooo stressful for me to think about so bye bye I am changing thread

[KonKorat]

Wedding photographers,does this means this is a news FLASH!

[Thai at Heart]

victimless crime clearly a priority for thai police.

It is not victimless when Thai people fail to make a decent living because their work is taken by some foreigner. So who are you victimiising?

It is largely victimless or not an optimal solution for the client to use a local non Chinese speaking cameraman.

It would be better to get around many of these restricted businesses and then make sure everyone pays tax. You reckon somxhais camera company pays tax