Russian man arrested over unlicensed guiding at Phuket attractions
A Russian man was arrested after officials observed him leading 10 foreign tourists at Promthep Cape and Big Buddha in Phuket.
A Russian man was arrested at Phuket’s Big Buddha on Thursday after officials observed him leading a group of 10 foreign tourists without a tour guide licence.
The Department of Tourism’s Southern Region Tour Business and Guide Registration Office (Branch 2), working with Phuket Tourist Police, first saw the man providing information to the group at the Promthep Cape viewpoint in Rawai at about 8:30am. Officers followed the group to Big Buddha, identified themselves and arrested him.
He was charged with acting as a tour guide without a licence under Sections 49 and 86 of Thailand’s Tour Business and Guide Act. He was taken into custody and handed over to investigators for legal proceedings.
Tourist Police separately said authorities were seeking to revoke his visa and deport him from Thailand. Officials described the arrest as part of a wider crackdown on offences involving foreign nationals that they say can negatively affect the tourism industry.
