Italian wood carver caught working illegally on Koh Phangan

The Italian wood carver is taken int…

The Italian wood carver is taken into custody at his rented house on Koh Phangan, Surat Thani, on Monday. (Photo blurred and supplied by Koh Phangan Tourist Police)
The Italian wood carver is taken into custody at his rented house on Koh Phangan, Surat Thani, on Monday. (Photo blurred and supplied by Koh Phangan Tourist Police)

An Italian wood carver has been arrested on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani for working in a job reserved only for Thais.

The 36-year-old Italian suspect, whose name was withheld, was arrested at a house in Koh Phangan district on Monday. 

At the front of the house was a workspace he used for carving. Tourist police seized 12 wood-working tools.

There were two foreign customers viewing his work when police raided the place.

The suspect admitted to working as a wood carver, saying he had the necessary skills and most of his customers were foreigners, police said. A wooden frame he had carved was priced around 3,000 baht.

Police charged him with working in a job reserved for Thais.