Tourist police arrested two Thais and a Chinese girl after they were accused of abandoning Chinese tourists in Pattaya.
The arrest of the three identified as Burin Sakulchotpong, 39, Jaturon Kritnan, 27, and Ms Zia Chun, 27, came after they sold an additional tour package to a group of five Chinese tourists to visit Bangkok on January 29 at 5,000 baht each but left them behind at a Pattaya hotel.
They left a message to the tourists via WeChat application saying “we have to leave you behind because we have no money to pay for your hotel rooms”.
The abandoned tourists later lodged complaint to the tourist police after they had to pay the Pattaya hotel room fees, and have no money to return to Bangkok.
Investigation by tourist police found the budget tour guides have no guide licenses.
Burin was later apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport, Jaturon and Zia in Pattaya.
They were all charged of having no official licence to do guide job.
Deputy commander of Tourist Police Division Pol Col Archayana Kruehong said he would propose the government to increase penalties for this unlicensed budget tour guides as their cheating greatly affects the tourism image of the country.
He said Burin would face a fine of not over 10,000 baht for allowing Jaturon to use his guide licence, while Jaturon face a year imprisonment and 100,000 baht fine, and the Chinese girl six month in jail and 50,000 baht fine for having no guide license.
