SURAT THANI – Immigration police in Surat Thani province received a tip-off about a foreigner illegally running a daycare center and employing illegal foreign tourists and workers in a house in Moo 3, Tambon Koh Phangan, Koh Phangan district, Surat Thani province. On March 6, they teamed up with the Koh Phangan police to inspect the site.
Ms. Jennifer, a 40-year-old American, presented herself as the director of the daycare. The officers found tables, chairs, toys, teaching materials, and food for young children.
They also found 20 foreign children aged 3-5 years old studying and playing in the room. Three foreign tourists, one from Ukraine and two from Israel, were illegally working as caregivers and teachers. Four Burmese migrant workers were also found working as housemaids.
During an inspection, it was discovered that the building did not have a license to operate a daycare center. The officers therefore took the eight people working at the facility to the Koh Phangan police station.
Ms. Jennifer was charged with establishing or operating a daycare center as a foreign national without a license.
One of the three foreign tourists was charged with working without a work permit. The migrant workers were charged with illegal entry and working without a work permit. Two of them were also charged with overstaying their visas and working without a work permit. The other was charged with failing to notify the registrar of changes in his employment.
