Six foreign diving instructors are arrested on Koh Tao after police catch them teaching illegally while on DTV visas. Three Myanmar workers are also seized as company directors face charges and investigators probe possible nominee links and finances.
Immigration police have stormed four Koh Tao businesses, arresting nine foreigners in a widening illegal-work crackdown. Six British and Spanish diving instructors were caught teaching on DTV visas without work permits. Three Myanmar workers were seized at a pharmacy and beauty salon, while company directors now face charges. Investigators are also tracing potential nominee links after 47 earlier foreign arrests on the island during 2026.
Surat Thani immigration police arrested six foreign diving instructors working illegally on DTV visas during raids across Koh Tao. The group comprised one British national and five Spanish nationals. All six taught diving without work permits. Yet each held a Destination Thailand Visa, commonly called a DTV.
The August 20 operation targeted four businesses across the Surat Thani tourist island. Officers searched two diving companies, one pharmacy and one beauty salon. Altogether, nine foreign nationals were arrested for employment offences. The action followed tourist complaints and information circulated through social media.
Surat Thani Immigration Police led the operation with several government agencies. In parallel, the Department of Business Development examined the targeted companies. Koh Tao Police Station provided investigators and operational support. Additionally, Koh Phangan district administrators and public health officers joined the searches.
Six DTV diving instructors arrested on Koh Tao as police charge directors and examine nominee links
At the diving companies, officers found six foreigners working as instructors without permits. Police identified the British national as Adam. The Spanish nationals were Xabier, Pablo, Paulina, Sandra and Nuria. Notably, every instructor held a DTV visa while working locally.
The bulletin described their documents as remote-work DTV visas. Nevertheless, those visas did not authorise employment as diving instructors. None possessed a work permit covering diving instruction. As a result, officers arrested all six during the searches.
Police then transferred the instructors to Koh Tao Police Station. Investigators will pursue proceedings over their unauthorised work. At the same time, their employers face separate legal action. Officers filed charges against the directors of both diving companies.
The company investigation has also widened beyond illegal employment. As part of this, investigators are tracing financial transactions linked to both businesses. They are examining possible offences involving nominee arrangements. No nominee charges have yet been announced.
Department of Business Development officials participated directly in the operation. Their involvement supported the inspection of the companies and their commercial records. In particular, investigators will examine financial links behind the diving businesses. The findings will determine whether the inquiry expands further.
DTV diving arrests lead crackdown as Myanmar workers are seized at Koh Tao pharmacy and beauty salon
The DTV cases formed the central element of the crackdown. Specifically, six visa holders were caught teaching diving without work permits. Their arrests also triggered proceedings against those employing them. Consequently, both businesses now face employment and financial scrutiny.
Separately, officers searched a pharmacy and arrested a Myanmar national. Police identified the woman as Sa Chi Lin. They found her selling medicine and collecting money from customers. However, no pharmacist was present during those transactions.
Her employment documents did not authorise the duties officers discovered. In response, police charged her with working beyond her permitted conditions. Public health officials assisted during the pharmacy inspection. They worked alongside immigration officers while the premises and employment records were checked.
On another front, officers raided a beauty salon near Sairee Beach. They arrested two Myanmar nationals providing nail and beauty services. Police identified the women as Zin Zin Myo and Tin Tin Wei. Both possessed work permits listing them as labourers.
Their permits did not cover the services being provided. Moreover, nail and beauty work is reserved for Thai citizens. Officers therefore arrested both women for exceeding their authorised employment. They were later delivered to investigators at Koh Tao Police Station.
Nine foreigners arrested as tourist complaints trigger coordinated employment raids across Koh Tao
The salon arrests increased the operation’s total to nine foreigners. Of those, six worked at the diving companies. Meanwhile, one worked at the pharmacy and two provided beauty services. Every location produced arrests or additional investigative work.
The cases involved two different categories of employment offences. The diving instructors lacked permits authorising their work. By comparison, the Myanmar nationals held documents covering other occupations or duties. Police said all three worked beyond their permitted conditions.
The operation followed directives from senior Immigration Bureau commanders. Police Lieutenant General Panumas Bunyalak, the bureau commissioner, ordered the enforcement action. Police Major General Chutharet Yingyongdamrongkul also issued instructions. He commands Immigration Division 6.
Following those orders, Police Colonel Naruwat Phutthaviro coordinated the Koh Tao raids. He serves as superintendent of the Surat Thani Immigration Office. Under his direction, immigration investigators worked with police and other regulatory agencies. The combined teams checked businesses, foreign workers and employment documents.
The raids began after officers received information from several sources. First, investigators examined reports appearing on social media. They also reviewed complaints made by tourists. Based on that material, the teams selected four locations for inspection.
Police inspect foreign work permits and company finances as 47 earlier Koh Tao arrests are revealed
At each site, officers checked whether foreigners held valid employment permission. They also compared actual duties with occupations stated in their documents. Where violations were found, suspects were arrested. Employers connected to the diving instructors were also charged.
Beyond the arrests, investigators began examining the two diving companies’ finances. The inquiry will trace relevant transactions involving the businesses. More broadly, officers will assess whether nominee structures were used. That element remains under investigation.
Thai nominees can become relevant when company arrangements conceal foreign participation or control. However, the bulletin reported only an investigation at this stage. It did not identify any person charged with a nominee offence. Accordingly, the financial evidence remains under examination.
Police Colonel Naruwat also released enforcement figures covering Koh Tao during 2026. The statistics ran from January 1 through August 19. During that period, officers arrested 47 foreign nationals. Those arrests occurred before the latest operation.
The earlier cases involved violations of the Alien Employment Act and Immigration Act. Elsewhere, arrests concerned drug laws and other criminal offences. The figures covered all listed foreign-offender cases on Koh Tao. They were not confined to illegal employment.
Nine new arrests fall outside Koh Tao total as police expose different forms of unauthorised work
Crucially, the reporting period closed one day before the August 20 raids. Thus, the nine latest arrests were outside the published total. The new cases will proceed separately through Koh Tao Police Station. The company investigation will continue alongside those proceedings.
The operation also exposed different methods of unauthorised foreign work. In one instance, DTV holders worked as diving instructors without permits. In another, labour-permit holders performed nail and beauty services. At the pharmacy, a worker sold medicine and received payments without a pharmacist present.
Each case arose from duties observed during the coordinated searches. Subsequently, officers checked those duties against the suspects’ employment documents. The diving instructors could not produce the required work permits. The Myanmar workers held documents that did not cover their actual activities.
Koh Tao forms part of Koh Phangan district in Surat Thani province. The island supports a major diving and tourism sector. Against that background, immigration officers focused on foreign workers serving local businesses. The inspections covered both employment permission and the nature of each person’s duties.
For the six instructors, holding DTV visas did not authorise diving employment. Likewise, labour permits did not allow the salon workers to provide beauty treatments. Sa Chi Lin’s documents did not authorise the pharmacy work discovered. All nine suspects now face legal proceedings.
Diving company directors face charges as police widen financial inquiry into possible nominee offences
The company directors face separate charges over employing the diving instructors. Alongside this, investigators will follow money moving through the two companies. They will also review evidence for possible nominee offences. Officials have not stated when that examination will finish.
The crackdown brought together immigration, police, business, health and district officials. Through that coordination, officers searched all four locations during one operation. They arrested suspects from three national groups. They also opened a wider investigation into the diving companies.
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Immigration police requested further information concerning illegal foreign activity on Koh Tao. Members of the public can contact the Immigration Bureau hotline on 1178. Alternatively, reports can be submitted through the Surat Thani Immigration Office website. Information can also be provided by telephone on 077-423440.
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