Thai police have detained two Israeli nationals suspected of violating rules on business ownership and real estate purchases as authorities intensify a campaign against foreigners bypassing local regulations.

On Tuesday officers apprehended an Israeli man at Koh Samui airport for allegedly acquiring land via Thai intermediaries to evade prohibitions on foreign property ownership.

The Thai government has heightened enforcement after local residents complained that outsiders are taking economic opportunities in popular tourist zones.

Local reports indicate that immigration police from Surat Thani working with Koh Phangan officers detained 30-year-old Eden Elisa, a co-owner of Elisa Paradise in Thailand. He faces accusations of supplying inaccurate details to land authorities to secure control of a parcel through a firm nominally run by Thai nationals.

Elisa had departed the country ahead of a search and was taken into custody upon his return at the airport.

The detentions form part of a larger effort targeting foreign operators

The previous week another Israeli was held on charges of running a business illegally through local proxies and filing false statements on official papers.

Israel DJ Gal Goren, aged 39, was detained for allegedly managing a recording studio without proper authorization.

That same day an American and a Spanish citizen were also arrested for working without required permits.

The operation conducted by tourist police, immigration units and district officials in Pai relied on a court warrant and belongs to a wider drive against unauthorized foreign enterprises in Pai, Koh Phangan and Samui, regions where Israelis, Russians and Chinese are active. In April an Israeli travel agency operator on Phuket was similarly detained.

Thai officials persist in efforts to curb foreign control of real estate and businesses, placing emphasis on Israeli cases.

Under government direction police have conducted visible operations in recent months against those using Thai citizens to mask foreign ownership of land or firms. Last month a large-scale action produced 45 arrest warrants according to police statements.

To date 27 individuals have been detained while searches continue for the remaining 18 suspects.