Phuket is ramping up its immigration screenings and crackdowns on illegal activities following a surge in the number of drug-related crimes and foreigners working on the island illegally.
Last year, 194 foreigners in Phuket had their visas rescinded, and 998 faced deportation for criminal activities, mostly drug-related and working without a proper visa, police said.
The province's immigration office now meets international consular officials once every two months. Arrivals must not have any outstanding arrest warrants or be on any blacklists. And when they are in Phuket, more measures are now being employed to verify their places of stay and crack down on any attempts to work illegally.
Many foreigners have been caught working illegally as tour guides in Phuket.
The public is also being encouraged to help police watch out for signs of criminal activities linked to foreigners in Phuket and report any suspicious incidents to authorities, police said. In January alone, about 800,000 foreign tourists arrived on the island, while the number of foreigners staying there on year-long visas is put at 36,000. Most are operating a business, studying or in retirement.
While Muang district is the most popular location for long-stay visitors, most of whom are Russians, other districts also have their fair share of expats.
