Department Store Issued With Writ

December 24, 201312 yr

DSI – Chonburi public health office – Department of Employment, Chonburi province presented a writ to a big department store that smuggled imported goods and products and sold them to foreign tourists without the permission from Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

PATTAYA – December 23, 2013 [PDN]; at 1.00 p.m. Mr. Phermphoon Phuengprasit [Deputy Director-General of Department of Special Investigation (DSI)], Pol. Lt. Col. Banthoon Chimkra (the Head of Joint Operations Center for the prevention and suppression of the influence as a threat to tourism in area of Pattaya and Chonburi province), Mr. Prawit Chaibuadaeng (the Director of DSI operation center, section 2), Mr. Cherdsak Wisutthikul (the Director of Division of Inspection and Protection of Workers, Department of Employment, Chonburi province) and Mrs. Ratikorn Prasertthaicharoen (the expert phamacist of consumer protection group, public health office of Chonburi province) together with the forces of officers brought a search warrant from Pattaya provincial court 722/2556 dated December 23, 2013 to search Vitamax Co., Ltd., address 181 Soi Boonkanjanaram 2 Moo 11 Tambon Nong Prue, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province. The officers received complaints that this company had imported goods without permission and sold the products that didn’t have a business registration from FDA.

From inspecting, the officers found that the department store was selling products such as beauty products, supplementary products, cosmetics and medicines which are illegal, according to the Food and Drug Act, Cosmetics Act and Tariff Act. The products were imported into the kingdom without permission so the officers seized all exhibits that worth more than 100 million THB and detained Mr. Yossawat Harnthanaprasert, aged 56 (Administrative Manager) and Ms. Phatthanan Thestharmmawithit, aged 30 (General Manager)Also the officers arrested a 22 male and female tour guides and 4 Cambodian employees working at the store to be prosecuted in the allegation of working in the kingdom without permission.

Mr. Phermphoon Phuengprasit revealed that previously he had received the complaint from the representatives group of tour guides in Pattaya and Chonburi province that there are many foreigners opening travel agencies in Pattaya city and have the Thai nominees then hire foreign tour guides to work without permission which caused hundreds of Thai tour guides to be out of work .

Therefore, the officers of DSI together with the public health office of Chonburi province and Department of Industrial Works then brought the search warrant of Pattaya provincial court t to inspect Vitamax Co., Ltd. and seized all exhibits and also arrested the illegal Russian tour guides and the alien workers.