40 illegals, 5 employers netted in crackdown

PHUKET: About 40 illegal workers and five people employing them have been arrested since a crackdown on illegal labor began last Friday. Vowing to continue to arrest illegal workers and their employers, Phuket Governor Pongpayome Vasaputi yesterday noted, “There are people who do not agree with me for cracking down. “I have even heard that some employers may raise a petition to hand to my superiors to protest about what I have done.” A limit of 5,308 work permits for Laotian, Burmese and Cambodian workers has been set by the government for Phuket, but the Governor noted that more than 9,000 workers applied for work permits this year. He added that about 20,000 more did not apply for work permits and are working in industries outside the four stipulated by law, which are fishing, fishery-related businesses, construction and rubber plantations.