Police on Koh Pha Ngan have officially arrested an American woman after it was found she was running a nursery/child care facility without permission.
The arrest of the 40 year old woman, named only as “Jennifer” was confirmed by Surat Thani Immigration. It’s understood immigration officials visited the nursery earlier this week.
They found around 20 young children, between the ages of 3 and 5, as well as two Israeli women and a Ukrainian woman, who were caring for the children. They also found 4 Burmese nationals working as housekeepers.
When questioned, Jennifer confirmed she was the owner of the nursery but was unable to provide any documentation to show it was a legally registered business. She and her employees were taken to Koh Pha Ngan Police Station for legal processing.
The American will be charged with being a foreign national operating a business without permission. The Israelis and the Ukrainian woman will be charged with working without permission.
Meanwhile, two of the Burmese nationals are being charged with overstaying their visa and working illegally. Another Burmese national is being charged with entering Thailand illegally and working without permission, while the fourth is being charged with working for an illegal employer.
The authorities have not divulged the name of the nursery.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
