Illegal fishing tour for Chinese tourists busted off coast with unauthorised Starlink onboard

An illegal fishing tour for Chinese tourists was busted off the coast of Thailand with unauthorised Starlink equipment onboard.

Thai operator Krittaphas, 27, allegedly breached local laws as he organised unlicenced fishing tours using a boat not registered for the activity.

Marine police intercepted the vessel in the Andaman Sea off holiday island Phuket on June 25, following reports of his alleged violations.

Officers found the bright pink boat sailing off the Laem Dinso viewpoint with two Chinese tourists onboard. They also found a Starlink router, power supply, cables, and satellite dish.

Krittaphas claimed the equipment belonged to his company but was unable to produce supporting documents. There were also no licenced tour guides present, despite being required by law.

Police inspected the vessel's registration and crew qualifications before allegedly finding the boat was in breach of the conditions of its licence under the Thai Maritime Navigation Act.

Krittaphas was detained and the Starlink system was seized for further investigation.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wisanu Jinawong of the Thai Marine Police Division said a formal complaint has been filed with the Department of Tourism.

He said: ‘We believe the tour operator may have violated legal duties requiring them to provide a licenced tour guide to accompany tourists.

‘We have filed a complaint against the tour company, collected evidence, and prepared the relevant documents to be forwarded to the Department of Tourism for further consideration and action within its authority.

‘We have also expanded our investigation to examine the business structure and the source of investment capital after identifying suspicious information.

‘We are currently investigating whether there are circumstances involving the use of Thai nationals as nominee shareholders to circumvent legal restrictions.'

Just last month, a Russian tourist was arrested off Ao Chalong in Phuket for allegedly running illegal fishing tours for fellow Russians through the Telegram app.

Police said the suspect, whose name was withheld, was caught after an undercover officer booked one of his 3,000-baht trips and joined six Russian tourists at sea.