CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – Immigration police detained a South Korean DJ in a Chiang Mai bar after accusing him of working without a valid permit.
Late-night raid in Suthep district
The operation took place on 19 November at around 22:00 in the Suthep area, following a specific tip-off to the Chiang Mai Immigration Police. According to officers, the investigative and suppression unit moved in on the bar immediately after receiving the information.
“We received a tip that a foreigner was employed there without a work permit,”
said an officer.
DJ found working on a tourist visa
At the venue, officers encountered the South Korean national performing as a DJ and checked his documents. The inspection revealed that he was staying in Thailand on a 90-day temporary residence permit issued as a tourist visa, which explicitly did not allow him to take up employment.
Admission of repeated work in entertainment venues
During questioning, the man admitted he had been working as a DJ in several entertainment establishments in Chiang Mai for some time. He had failed to apply for and obtain the required official work permit, despite repeatedly taking paid engagements.
Criminal charges and possible deportation
Police immediately brought charges under the Thai Immigration Act of 2522, which prohibits any employment by foreigners without a valid permit. The man was transferred to Phuping Police Station, where legal proceedings were initiated.
“Such violations are taken seriously and can result in prosecution and possible deportation,”
emphasised the immigration authorities.
Wider crackdown on illegal foreign jobs
Officials stated that the case was not an isolated incident and that Thai authorities had been tightening checks in the restaurant and entertainment sectors. Foreigners regularly tried to support themselves with jobs in these areas without the necessary authorisations, and both the workers and the businesses that hired them faced substantial penalties.
Clear warning to foreign visitors
Authorities announced that inspections of venues across Chiang Mai would continue and that this case was intended to serve as a deterrent. They stressed that anyone wishing to work in Thailand must have the correct paperwork, and that a tourist visa was not sufficient. For the South Korean DJ, the dream of living in Thailand now risked ending abruptly, with deportation potentially replacing nights behind the mixing desk.