New drive to register foreign labor

PHUKET: Kopit Temsongsai, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Service Office (ESO), yesterday announced that the ESO has begun a drive to register all Burmese, Laotians and Cambodians working in Phuket. The drive is part of a national campaign, launched last Tuesday at a ministerial-level meeting in Bangkok, to verify that people of these nationalities are working legally in Thailand. K. Kopit said, “Right now, we have 5,741 workers [of these nationalities] registered [in Phuket], but it is estimated that there actually about 30,000 of them here.” Each employer must complete an ESO form listing how many Burmese, Laotians or Cambodians he or she employs, and the employees’ personal details, such as name, age and address. Employers have until September 29 to deliver completed forms to the ESO. After that date, the ESO will begin conducting raids on workplaces. Between September 24 and October 13, the ESO will require workers listed by employers to come to its offices for an interview, at which time fingerprints and a photo will also be taken. At this time the employer will also be required to pay the registration fee. This will be 3,250 baht for each foreign employee for initial registration covering the first six months, with a further fee of 1,200 baht for each six-month extension. K. Kopit said he believes that employers will cooperate because they face prosecution if found to be employing unregistered workers. For more information, call the ESO at 076-219660-1.