The first arrest occurred on Monday (Apr 22) at the International Departures Hall of Phuket International Airport. The arrested was announced on the HKT Immigration Checkpoint page of Facebook, operated by the branch Immigration Bureau, which oversees passport control at the airport.
The two other suspects were arrested on Wednesday (Apr 24) at a unnamed hotel in Patong. By this time, officers from the Phuket Provincial Immigration Office and the Region 6 Immigration Office had joined the investigation.
Authorities have not disclosed the identities of the detained Syrians nor have they provided details on how the suspects obtained the fake UAE passports.
It is known though, that the two men arrested on April 24 had traveled to Phuket from Songkhla province and had stayed in at least two different hotels in Patong prior to their arrest.
All three Syrian suspects have been charged with possession and/or use of a counterfeit passport.