Immigration raids net 17 foreigners on tourist islands
published : 31 Jan 2025 at 07:35
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Online Reporters

Seventeen foreign nationals and a Thai have been arrested for working illegally and other immigration offences during raids this week on three popular tourist islands in Surat Thani province.
Police and local officials raided sites on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao after alerted about foreign nationals running unregistered nurseries, working without work permits, overstaying visas and other immigration offences.
The raids, conducted since Jan 28, led to the arrest of 17 foreigners and a Thai in all, police said.
On Koh Samui, a Briton and a Lao national were arrested at two separate locations. One was charged with overstaying and the other with illegal entry.
On Koh Phangan, 12 foreigners — five Russians, two Ukrainians, five Myanmar nationals — were arrested on charges that included setting up a private school without permission, running a nursery without permission, working illegally and hiring illegal migrants.
On Koh Tao, three Myanmar nationals were arrested on charges of working illegally and a Thai employee was arrested on charges of illegally running a nursery and hiring illegal migrants.
Surat Thani Immigration officers coordinated with related agencies to carry out “Operation X-ray” on the three islands, police said.
Vocabulary
- entry (noun): the act of going into a place - การเข้า
- immigration: dealing with people entering and leaving the country - การตรวจคนเข้าเมือง
- migrant: someone who travels to another place or country in order to find work (an immigrant is someone who comes to live in a country from another country) - ผู้อพยพ, คนงานต่างถิ่น
- national: a citizen of a particular country - ประชาชน
- net: to catch someone, usually a criminal - จับกุม
- nursery (noun): a place where children are cared for, a place where children play or sleep - สถานรับเลี้ยงเด็ก
- offence: a crime or illegal activity for which there is a punishment - การกระทำผิดกฎหมาย
- overstay: stay in a country for longer than you are allowed to stay, not leaving when your visa to stay in the country ends -
- permit: an official document that gives you permission to do something - ใบอนุญาต
- raid: to forcefully and suddenly enter a place to catch criminals or to search for something like drugs - ใช้กำลังเข้าค้นสถานที่หรือ จับกุมคนร้าย
- raid (noun): using force or legal authority to enter a place suddenly in order to arrest people or search for something such as illegal weapons or drugs - การเข้าตรวจค้น
- visa: an official document or mark in your passport that allows you to enter or leave a country for a specific purpose or period of time - วีซ่า, เอกสารอนุมัติที่ประทับตราบนหนังสือเดินทาง