A Russian citizen has been arrested in Phuket for illegally working as a tourist guide, which is strictly forbidden for foreigners in the kingdom
A Russian citizen has been arrested on the island of Phuket in Thailand for illegally working as a tourist guide and conducting group tours for Russian tourists, the Phuket police said.
It is reported that a 29-year-old Russian citizen Pavel Maslennikov four times made the “border-rant”, ie, formally crossed the land border of Thailand with a neighboring country for a short period and re-entered the kingdom, thereby receiving a new stamp of visa-free stay for 45 days.
The Russian was arrested by Phuket tourist police officers on Soi Romani. Maslennikov’s arrest followed information from vigilant citizens. It was reported that the foreign national was acting as a tourist guide and accompanying a group of 11 Russian tourists to visit the Big Buddha statue. The group then visited the elephant camp and the Chalong (Wat) Temple, before heading to Phuket’s Old Town for a city tour. It was then that tourist police officers approached Pavel Maslennikov, a Russian, and took him into custody.
According to the Phuket Tourist Police, Maslennikov had arrived in Thailand as a tourist. Prior to his arrest, he had crossed the border to and from Malaysia four times to renew his permit to stay in the country. Oddly enough, this did not raise any questions with immigration police at the border crossing in Satun.
Maslennikov has now been released on bail and is awaiting trial in Thailand.
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