Kathu –
A Russian man was arrested at a restaurant in Kathu on Monday (March 18th) after he was found allegedly cooking in a kitchen against the terms of his work permit.
The Kathu Police told the Phuket Express that at 7:00 P.M. on the day in question they arrested a 36-year-old Russian man at an unidentified restaurant in Kathu. The arrest came after the Kathu Police received a tip-off from an anonymous caller that a foreigner had opened a restaurant with many foreign customers. The Russian man was often found cooking in the restaurant’s kitchen and the caller was concerned that the Russian man didn’t have a work permit and could be breaking Thai laws.
The Russian man did in fact have a work permit and presented it to police. However, his work permit described his job as only a consultant and advisor on management and development for marketing, not related to cooking or interacting with customers directly. Officers also found that the QR code payment in the restaurant showed the Russian man’s name.
The suspect was taken to the Kathu Police Station to face charges of working without permission or working outside of his work description.
The crackdown on foreigners breaking Thai laws came again after Chalong police officers captured two New Zealand nationals who allegedly refused to pull over for a traffic offense, evaded police arrest, and were later accused of assaulting an officer who pursued them in Chalong.