SONGKHLA: A Malaysian couple have been arrested for illegally running a homestay business in Hat Yai district.
Immigration police and local officials, led by Songkhla immigration chief Pol Col Chutharet Yingyongdamrongsakul, on Thursday searched three commercial row buildings on Punnakan Road in Khohong municipal area.
They were acting on a tip-off that Malaysian investors had set up an illegal homestay business and placed advertisements for the rooms online for tourists, particularly Malaysian and Singaporean nationals.
Operator Then Hiang Leong, 57, and his wife Heng Shop Houi, 53, were detained after officers confirmed the three-storey buildings had no permit to operate as a hotel or accommodation service.
The rooms were decorated like hotel rooms. Each building had three bedrooms. The couple charged rental of 2,600-2,860 baht per day per building.
Immigration police said the couple had entered the country on tourist visas. They had no work permits.
They were charged with working without permission and will be deported.