Checks ordered on foreigners in Phuket for possible links to organized crime

File photo : Phuket Deputy Governor Adul Chuthong//poc.phuket.go.th

The Phuket provincial administration has instructed all district officers to check the backgrounds and conduct of foreigners living on the resort island, including the Swiss man who allegedly assaulted a female Thai doctor, to ascertain whether they are members of extortion gangs or involved in organised crime.

Phuket Deputy Governor Adul Chuthong said today that Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered an investigation of foreign criminal gangs in Phuket, following the incident last week when the Swiss man, identified only as David, allegedly assaulted a female Thai doctor for allegedly trespassing on his property on Yamu Beach, when she sat the staircase of his rented seaside villa.

He said that foreigners found to be involved in illegal activities in Phuket will have their visas revoked, be blacklisted and…