Police crack down on illegal aliens

PHUKET TOWN: Police plan to screen every Burmese in Phuket as part of a nationwide operation to rid the country of illegal workers. Pol Lt Col Samarn Chainarong, Officer in Charge of Investigating Aliens in Phuket, told the Gazette that he believes the number of Burmese coming to Thailand without papers is increasing every day. Officials attribute a disproportionate amount of crime and misdemeanors to the Burmese. “We cannot say how many Burmese workers don’t have work permits,” he said. “But we do know that 14,000 Burmese in Phuket have work permit cards.” Legal Burmese workers are mostly concentrated in construction, fisheries and tourism. Each month at least 100 Burmese in Phuket are held for being in Thailand illegally, and then deported. And the number is expected to increase during the coming crackdown. Lt Col Samarn asks that anyone with information about illegal Burmese call the Phuket Town Police station on 076-219106.