It was announced on 8 March 2024 that the Norwegian woman Ms. Unni had been arrested for operating as a taxi driver in Koh Phangan. Later on the same day information was released that the woman did not intend to work as a taxi driver, but was dropping off foreigners who had been guests at the company where she was the manager.
She was arrested by a combination of Immigration, Tourist, and Local police. According to Surat Thani Immigration Chief, Pol Col Naruewat Phutthaviro, Ms. Unni had the name of her company on her car which was somehow important.
Ms. Unni faced charges for transporting passengers in her car, and she admitted to the charges.
According to Thai law it is prohibited for foreigners to drive passengers, and Pol Col Naruewat said that the police has been instructed to charge the firm for allowing her to engage in work prohibited for foreigners.
There has been an increase in arrests of foreigners the last couple of weeks following a violent attack where a Swiss assaulted a Thai doctor, so it says in the media Der Farang. They also state that there has been an intensity especially in the Phuket area, but also in other parts of the country. So far at least 30 foreigners have been arrested.
Phuket administration has also agreed to set up a center to deal with illegal alien businesses. This is a result of many complaints by Thai business operators who claim that many foreigners have set up businesses using their Thai spouses or other Thai nationals as nominees. There are more than 200 companies with foreigners holding a 49% stake operating in Phuket.
Sources: The Bangkok Post, Thai PBS World and Der Farang
I am surprised that Bangkok Post suddenly several days after the incident wants to repeat the whole crazy affair. Every law abiding foreigner with work permit and one year visa would find it entirely normal that they offer to drive a customer somewhere, maybe to the restaurant where they will have dinner this evening or to the airport. Every foreigner with a non-Im “O” visa in possession of a car will and should of course also offer a family members who has come to Thailand with their family to visit him/her that they will be picked up at the local airport by themselves. To call this normal, friendly behavior “encroachment on work restricted for Thais” only is madness. Sadly, the authorities were pushed by the members of the government to go out and prove that they were “cracking down” on illegal foreigners. And what did they have to show as their big catch? A kind Norwegian woman offering a guest a ride. How can a Swiss man kicking a Thai person on Phuket lead to this stupid countrywide campaign?