Police have arrested a Dutchman for robbery on Koh Samui after he allegedly made off with a high-tech video camera from a store on Koh Tao resort island in Surat Thani.
The arrest comes amid a recent crackdown on foreigners accused of committing offences ranging from theft and human trafficking to illegal entry into Thailand.
The Dutchman, identified only by his first name Gerhardus, was detained by police in a bungalow on Koh Samui on Oct 9 after he allegedly stole a US-made black GoPro Hero 7 camera and accessories on Koh Tao worth more than 12,000 baht, deputy Immigration Bureau chief Pornchai Kuntee said on Friday.
Police also apprehended a Cambodian woman on human trafficking charges after the 24-year-old allegedly conspired with three others to force Cambodian children to work as street vendors at Patong beach in Phuket.
The kids, aged between 13 and 16 years old, were made to work from 8am to 9pm every day and sell flowers and glasses to tourists. If the children failed to earn 3,000 baht a day they would be be whipped by gang members, according to investigators.
The woman was detained on Oct 20 as she was trying to flee to Cambodia via Sa Kaeo province in the Northeast, Pol Maj Gen Pornchai said.