3 Chinese men deported for illegally opening restaurant in Bangkok

Police yesterday raided a Chinese restaurant operating illegally in Bangkok and arrested three Chinese men found working there. They were fined, deported, and put on Thailand’s blacklist.

Immigration Bureau officers raided the Chaosan Osha Chinese restaurant on the Rama 9 Road in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok.

Officers reported that they found three Chinese citizens at the restaurant. A 35 year old man named Yang, believed to be the owner, was arrested while working on the restaurant’s accounts. The two other Chinese men, Chin, and Chern were working in the restaurant’s kitchen.

They were reported to have entered Thailand on tourist visas. The restaurant did not have an operating license, and all of them did not have work permits.

Arresting officers stated that the Chinese men opened the restaurant and hired only Chinese citizens to work there.

The three were charged with violating the Working of Aliens Act: an alien who engages in work without having a permit shall be punished with imprisonment for up to five years, a fine from 2,000 to 100,000 baht, or both.

According to Khaosod, the three will not face jail time in Thailand. They will be fined according to the amount stated by the court, deported, and their names would be put on the nation’s blacklist.

An investigation into businesses run by foreigners, particularly Chinese, began when the Thai owner of Among Mala Hotpot on Yaowarat Road questioned the increasingly new number of businesses and restaurants run by Chinese.

The Thai restaurant owner asked if the permits were easy to obtain or whether those businesses were operating illegally with a special exemption from the government.

The topic went viral on Thai social media and it led to the raids of three illegal electronic waste warehouses last week and the Chaosan Osha Chinese restaurant yesterday.

Thai netizens shared their opinions on the raids, saying they were pleased the Thai police were being proactive and hoped more raids would be carried out on other suspicious businesses in the kingdom.