Raid on Illegal Dental Clinic Near Major Phuket Mall: Taiwanese Dentist Caught Scaling Teeth Without Proper License

On February 12, 2024, at 6:10 PM, Police Colonel Somsak Thongkliang from Wichit Police Station and Pharmacist Phutchart Sangpraphan from Phuket Public Health Office led an investigation team to inspect the Sunrise Smile Dental Clinic located on the second floor of a plaza near a major shopping mall. They received complaints about the clinic operating without proper authorization. Upon arrival, they found numerous Thai and foreign patients waiting for treatment. Inside the dental room, they discovered Ling Tan, a 35-year-old Taiwanese national in blue scrubs and a white hair cover, actively scaling a patient's teeth. Officials identified themselves and demanded he stop. Upon checking, no valid dental practice or business licenses were found. Ling Tan was revealed to be a dentist from Taiwan without work permission in Thailand, claiming to be in the process of obtaining authorization. He was invited for questioning and faces four legal charges: operating a medical facility without permission, conducting unauthorized medical services, practicing dentistry without a license, and working as a foreigner without proper work authorization.