A Chinese man has been arrested for working illegally as a tour guide, operating a VVIP programme for Chinese customers on Rattanakosin island in Bangkok.
The suspect, identified as Ling Zixiang, 25, was detained near Tha Chang Pier on Maharat Road in Bangkok, said Pol Maj Gen Saksira Pheuak-um, the tourist police commissioner.
The arrest was made after police investigated and tracked a Chinese application that Mr Ling used to contact his customers, Pol Maj Gen Saksira said on Wednesday.
The arresting team found the suspect used three Toyota Alphard luxury vans to bring tourists to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, also known as Wat Phra Kaew, on Rattanakosin island.
The full-service tour programme offered transport, itinerary planning and expensive meals, all operated by Mr Ling who held a Thailand Elite Visa, police said.
He was charged with working in a profession reserved for Thai citizens and operating a tour without permission.
Authorities said recently that between October last year and March this year, 940 tour operators were inspected and many were found operating without licences or failing to provide insurance coverage for tourists. Also, many of the 338 guides questioned had no licences.
Unlicensed tour operators can face jail terms of up to 2 years and/or fines of up to 500,000 baht, while an unlicensed guide can faces up to a year in jail and/or a fine up to 100,000 baht.