Thailand is now arresting Russian violators who are trying to make money illegally, and the first such case was with a tourist guide.
The man was detained on Soi Romani while he was leading a tour for Russian travelers who visited the Big Buddha, an unnamed elephant sanctuary and Wat Chalong temple. Before the detention, the illegal guide managed to organize several trips to Malaysia to extend his visitor visa.
Apparently, this happened after the complaints of tourist entrepreneurs in Thailand that Russians (mostly migrants) were taking away their jobs and illegally organizing excursions without having a work permit. The violations were reported to the government, which then passed the information on to law enforcement so that they could identify and apprehend the offenders, making this a first.
