PATTAYA — A group of foreign beggars who had already been arrested several times by the Chonburi Immigration Department were arrested again. Meanwhile, Pattaya Tourist Police arrested an unlicensed Chinese tour guide and a Thai tour guide who allowed the Chinese national to use his identity as a cover.
Immigration Department investigators and Chonburi Provincial Immigration Department volunteers raided the hideout of a Cambodian beggar gang located in a row house in the Wat Tham Samakkhi community in South Pattaya, Chonburi Province.
On December 16, they arrested a total of 10 Cambodian adults, including both men and women – including 2 people with disabilities – and 9 children ranging in age from infants to about 10 years old. All in all, there were 19 people. Some of them were sitting outside the house chatting as usual, while others were sleeping in air-conditioned rooms.
After checking the suspects, the authorities found that 5 of them had entered the kingdom illegally, 3 were foreigners who were in the country without proper authorization or had overstayed their visas, and 2 people had valid passports and visas. The remaining 9 children were confirmed to be descendants of Cambodian nationals.
The officers found that some people had been arrested when their children were very young. Even though the children have now reached school age, these families continue to sneak into Pattaya with their children to beg.
The Chonburi Immigration Department then coordinated with the Chonburi Children and Family Home and the Chonburi Protection Center for the Destitute to take two mothers and their nine children into temporary protective custody at a children’s home before taking legal action and arranging for their deportation to their country of origin.
On the same day, Pattaya Tourist Police also arrested an illegal Chinese tour guide and a Thai tour guide who had allowed the Chinese man to use his name and pose as a licensed tour guide during an inspection of various tourist attractions such as Pattaya Beach, Walking Street, Wat Phra Yai (Big Buddha Temple) and The Sanctuary of Truth.
The police accused the Chinese man of acting as a tour guide without a license and engaging in employment while in the kingdom on a temporary visa. The Thai tour guide was charged under the Tourism Business and Tour Guide Act for allowing another person without a license to work in his place as a tour guide.
In addition, tourism police have ordered a crackdown on 10 banned groups conducting criminal activities during the peak season before Christmas and New Year, between December 16 and 22, 2024. The aim is to enforce strict measures and achieve clear, demonstrable results.
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