The owner of a community radio station in Chiang Mai, Thailand, has been arrested for allegedly interfering with air traffic communication.

reports that officers from the communications regulator The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) raided 52-year-old Withaya Methawo’s premises and seized his transmitter.

NBTC’s regional office said they had issued three previous warnings to Methawo, whose station broadcast on 92.3FM to the city’s Saraphi district.

Complaints were made by the state-run air traffic communication organisation Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Co (AeroThai).

At a seminar on Wednesday, AeroThai said pilots had reported 2,275 incidents of interference from January to August this year and figures had increased dramatically on last year.

Thailand has 7,000-8,000 community radio stations which the government has been attempted to regulate over the past few years.