A UKRANIAN man has been arrested at luxurious premises in Chalong and accused of child abuse and Internet pornography.

Maxsim Shynkarenko, aged 31, was arrested on Friday by Tourist Police and was presented to the media today at the Bypass Road HQ.

Mr Shynkarenko denies the allegations.

Police say they also impounded three laptop computers when they arrested Mr Shynkarenko.

But Mr Shynkarenko has yet to provide the passwords to the computers because he says he has forgotten the codes.

Mr Shynkarenko, who was in Thailand on a tourist visa, was wanted in the US for alleged child pornography and ill-treatment of children, as well as money-laundering.

Police Major General Attagrit Tharechat, Commander of theTourist Police Division, said this was Mr Shynkarenko's second trip to Phuket.

The first was last high-season.

The arrest order, carried out by Tourist Police at 6pm on Friday in a luxury rented house at Moo 7 Saiyuan Road, Chalong, came from the US District of New Jersey.

Mr Shynkarenko was wanted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US Department of Homeland Security.

He will be held awaiting extradition proceedings. Conviction in the US on the alleged crimes will see him serving a life sentence.