SURAT THANI - An Austrian man has been arrested for allegedly working as a tour guide on Koh Phangan in this southern province.
Tourist police said they arrested the man, identified only as Guenter, at an eatery on the island on Wednesday. He was accompanied by two foreign tourists and was driving a Toyota Hilux Revo pickup truck registered in Surat Thani.
During questioning, Guenter admitted to running an illegal tour guide service, charging each client 2,000 baht. He had been providing the service for two years.
The two tourists said they were referred to the Austrian by a German friend through a chat application. Guenter had picked them up from their hotel earlier that day and taken them to several attractions, including Bottle Beach Viewpoint, Than Sadet waterfall and Samai Kongka temple. The total fee for the tour was 4,000 baht.
The Austrian faces charges of working without a permit and illegally operating as a tour guide.
In Thailand, a number of jobs, including tour guides, are restricted to Thai citizens only.
