SONGKHLA, Thailand – Thai Marine Police and officials from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) have arrested two fishing boat owners after discovering allegedly illegal Starlink satellite internet equipment and telecommunications devices installed aboard their vessels on Songkhla Lake. The operation took place on August 5 after Marine Police Region 7 officers, working with NBTC inspectors, conducted patrols targeting technology-related and telecommunications offences along the lake’s waterways.
Officers arrested two Thai nationals, aged 43 and 67, aboard separate fishing boats. A search uncovered a Starlink satellite internet router, satellite communication equipment, antennas, signal boosters and related accessories. According to police, both suspects admitted purchasing and installing the equipment themselves but claimed they were unaware that the devices required legal authorization in Thailand. The pair were charged with offences related to possessing and using telecommunications equipment that had not been legally imported or licensed, including operating radio communication equipment and establishing a radio communications station without permission. Both suspects and the seized equipment were handed over to investigators for legal proceedings.
