Arrests of Russians engaged in illegal activities continue in Thailand

In Thailand, arrests of Russians continue, whose illegal activities came to light on the occasion of March 8. First, two Russian women who decided to make extra money in this ancient profession for gifts for Women’s Day went to jail in Thailand, then those who secretly beautified their compatriots for the holiday with unlicensed “beauty injections.”

We learned the prerequisites and likely consequences of the emergency with our citizens.

The Russian-speaking diaspora, and today it is the largest in the Kingdom of Siam, is in excitement: not all relocants from the Russian Federation have remote work that supports them, and any type of labor activity in Thailand, both for hire and the provision of any services, requires special permission and work visa. Meanwhile, many Russians who do not have a stable income moved to Siam with their families and children who need to be fed somehow. So they take risks, earning extra money on the spot, although everyone knows very well that this is “Thai roulette”. If you’re lucky, you’ll earn money, but if you’re unlucky, you’ll run into a raid – this is a Thai “monkey bust” without any options, a fine of about $1,400 and deportation to your homeland at your own expense with inclusion on a “black list” – a black list that denies citizens included in it access to the territory Thailand from 10 years to lifelong status of “non grata”, a person prohibited from entering the country. Roulette is complicated by the fact that the Thais have acquired a “hotline” since the New Year, from which they even receive anonymous signals about illegal labor activity and immediately respond to them. This line, according to the 8th police department of Phuket, which is considered in the country “the champion in catching Russian illegals,” is red-hot around the clock: both locals and tourists report violations. Theoretically, the “hotline” concerns all foreigners who violate Thai laws, but due to the large size and “efficiency” of the Russian diaspora, most of the signals are dedicated to our compatriots. Judging by them, they do everything they can – and everything is illegal: they drive and rent out tuk-tuks (motorcycle taxis), bikes, speedboats (motor boats), mediate in housing rentals, open small businesses in the names of fake Thais, thus stealing income from the local population, and also provide private advertisements through social networks and public pages for the provision of all services imaginable.

“I understand when they encroach on the original Thai business,” says Lena, a relocant from Samara, now living with her husband in Phuket. “We recently had a case in our area when our guy tried to lawlessly squeeze out the business of renting out sun loungers on the beach from a local woman. And here it’s mostly these Thai old ladies, “God’s dandelions,” who do this. So our big guy decided what this old lady would do to him, the beaches in Thailand are all municipal, they do not belong to hotels or cafes. Buy sun loungers and rent them out to tourists who don’t want to lie on the hot sand. But that was not the case, the “old lady” turned out to be the mother of a local municipal official, but that’s not even the point. She had all the permits and paid her taxes as required. And our businessman from the 90s went to the neighborhood, which he deserved. Even our people did not sympathize with him. But the latest incident is completely different!

The Russian woman is referring to Russian citizen Yulia, who was detained after International Women’s Day along with two Russian “accomplices” on the Thai island of Koh Samui. In the eyes of the Thai law, the guest from Russia is a real criminal: not only did she not have a permit to work in Thailand or a work visa, she could not show a license to provide medical services and present certificates for the medications seized in her establishment.

“This woman opened a beauty salon, a small one, they say it’s generally at home,” says Tanya, a Thai woman who owns a beauty salon nearby. – But she did there what is considered medical services in our country – injections of drugs and other invasive (with violation of the integrity of the skin – author) procedures. My salon is also tiny. But I not only received permission for it and a license to provide beauty services, I also went through a whole bunch of checks: they checked the quality of my water, the serviceability of the sewage system, all the employees and I myself underwent a medical examination. Despite the fact that we don’t inject anything and don’t use any medications, we just cut and comb his hair. In our country, we are very strict about everything related to health and medical services. Even a doctor who accidentally harms a person goes to prison for a very long time.

Fortunately for her compatriot, as she was already nicknamed in the local press, and two employees of her underground “beauty laboratory,” the Thai police have not yet found the victims of her activities, although they continue to persistently search.

“We sometimes take a long time, but it’s effective,” they share unofficially in the “anti-Russian” 8th department of the Phuket police. – For example, there was an attempt on the life of your citizen in June last year, and the wrong person was detained without delay. Your gangsters themselves were looking for someone to take revenge on, but by the fall they, too, had given up. And we slowly, but did not stop searching. And on New Year’s Eve the criminal was caught.

In the Russian-speaking diaspora, however, they are sure that Yulia has no victims, because her business, although not licensed and illegal in the eyes of the Thais, was essentially needed by Russians in a foreign land.

– Remember the viral video when a tourist from the Russian Federation attacked a Thai hairdresser because he cut off his bangs without asking? – reminds relocant Lena. – It’s the same in Tai with everything that concerns beauty. They either don’t listen, or don’t understand, but they make everyone look like themselves, this is the hairstyle they wear, the same is what you will have, no matter what you mutter to them. But okay, still hair, it will grow back. What if it’s a tattoo? Or Botox and fillers? My friend got “serviced” like this at a local salon, now everyone takes her for a secret: her eyes have turned into slits, her face is like a pancake, and she has eyebrows like Brezhnev’s. Of course, before March 8, all our girls were looking for beauty services from their compatriots. Those who don’t personally know any of the Russian salon owners find them on social networks. In general, most open offices in their own homes, and only relatives and clients know about them. And they came to Yulia “by knocking” (by calling the hotline – author). This means that the “knock” in this case is not from the Thais, offended by the “theft of their business,” but from their own people.