Two Arrested Installing Starlink Equipment on Fishing Boats in Songkhla Lake
Marine police arrested two fishing boat owners in Songkhla Lake for illegally installing Starlink satellite equipment and signal amplifiers on their vessels without telecommunications permits.
On August 5, 2025, marine police unit 7 officers coordinated with NBTC officials to apprehend Panayakorn, 43, and Cha, 67, both boat owners operating in Songkhla Lake. They face charges of possessing illegal goods, importing and operating unlicensed telecommunications equipment, and establishing unauthorized radio stations aboard two fishing vessels.
During the search, officers recovered one white Starlink satellite internet router with cables and one Starlink UTP-232 transceiver from Panayakorn's boat. From Cha's vessel, they seized a logarithmic period antenna (model TQx-689-3800-13), an omnidirectional antenna (model YBT-700-2700), connecting cables, and one signal amplifier.
The arrests followed a crackdown on illegal telecommunications operations in the Songkhla Lake waterway. Both suspects admitted to purchasing and installing the Starlink equipment and phone signal boosters themselves but claimed ignorance of the legal violations. They have been taken into custody pending further legal proceedings.
