Six foreign scuba diving instructors have been arrested on the Thai island of Koh Tao in an operation targeting illegal employment in the tourism industry, DIVE Magazine reports.
Five Spanish nationals were arrested on 18 August after Surat Thani Immigration Police inspected Pura Vida Koh Tao Diving and allegedly found them working as instructors without valid work permits. Thai media outlet Khaosod subsequently reported that a British national was arrested on similar charges in a separate inspection at an unnamed dive centre. The six are reported to have been holding Destination Thailand Visas (DTVs) — introduced in 2024 for digital nomads, remote workers, freelancers, and visitors engaged in certain approved activities. The DTV allows holders to work in Thailand, but not to be employed by a Thai business, which requires an employment visa and a work permit sponsored by the employer.
The arrests were part of a broader enforcement sweep involving Surat Thani Immigration Police, Koh Tao Police, the Department of Business Development, Koh Phangan district officials, and local health authorities, who inspected four premises — two dive businesses, a pharmacy, and a beauty salon — following tips from social media and tourist complaints. Separately, on 17 August, the Department of Business Development inspected 12 licensed tourism companies on Koh Tao with foreign shareholders; two were found in breach of Thailand’s Tour Business and Tour Guide Act, which requires a majority of company directors to be Thai nationals, including one dive operator with a foreign director alongside a Thai one. Authorities said they would investigate whether nominee Thai shareholders were being used to disguise foreign control of businesses, but reported that the remaining ten dive operators checked held valid work permits and complied with regulations.
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DIVE Magazine – Six foreign dive instructors arrested in Koh Tao work permit crackdown
