The searches at three locations by 100 police and relevant officials took place yesterday after arrest warrants were issued for two Tranlee executives, Weerachai Kampaipraphankul and Krisakorn Rungmongkolnam, for allegedly being foreigners who assumed Thai nationality to register a tourist business there.

Police impounded 33 speedboats from Insee Marine Co Ltd’s pier, 57 tour buses from TL Better Way Co Ltd’s parking lot, and seized related documents from Racha Spa Co Ltd to check the network’s financial transactions. Phuket police chief Pol Maj-General Theerapol Thipcharoen who led the operation said that the actions did not affect tourists who bought tour programmes from the network as they had reserved other boats and buses to transport them.

Police and officials had raided Tranlee and arrested Krisakorn on June 15 (although Weerachai remains at large). The raid followed months of investigation that found many companies in the network allegedly had Chinese or other |foreigners using fake identifica-tion cards to register the businesses and to register them as shareholders.

Police also claimed that these companies earned over B150 million in revenue but paid only B200,000 in tax a year.

On Tuesday, deputy national police chief Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul visited Phuket to follow up on progress in the case. He revealed that the Tourism and Sports Phuket office had revoked the licences of the six companies linked to the duo.

Besides impounding boats and buses as evidence as part of yesterday’s operation, Srivara said police would check their financial transactions, particularly those going to other countries.

He said police also were probing to apprehend more accomplices, including state officials involved in the case.

Tranlee was established in Phuket in 2001 and has 17 affiliated companies, 15 in Phuket and two in Phang Nga. Together, thye have had 11 buses

Krisakorn and Weerachai who came to Thailand from the North had allegedly assumed Thai nationality to hold major shares in Tranlee, he said, adding that police would also probe other companies in Phuket that have allegedly committed similar offences.

Phuket attracts about 10,000 visitors a day during low season and up to 50,000 visitors a day in the high season.