Great wall of trouble: 6 Chinese nationals busted for illegal work in Phuket
Police arrested six Chinese nationals on Tuesday for working illegally at a construction site in Phuket. A Thai employer was also arrested at the scene.
Officers from Patong Police Station reported their successful operation to the public yesterday, April 2. In this case, officers arrested six Chinese workers at a construction site on Phra Metta Road in the Kathu district of Phuket on Tuesday.
Their identities were not included in the report. The Thai national who hired them to work at the site was also arrested.
The six Chinese nationals were charged under Section 8 of the Foreigners’ Working Management Act for working without a permit. The penalty ranges from a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a two-year ban from applying for a work permit in Thailand.
The Thai employer also violated the same act, which carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 baht per illegal employee.
In a previous construction raid in Phuket in March, four Chinese men were arrested at a warehouse on Thepkrasattri Road.
The four suspects refused to reveal the name of their employer to the officers. The building owner also denied responsibility for their illegal employment, claiming he leased the building for an interior design business.
Eight more Chinese nationals were arrested for illegally working as construction workers in Phuket in February.
They attempted to flee from their worksite but failed. Their base salary was between 25,000 and 30,000 baht, significantly higher than that of Thai and legal migrant workers in the industry.
Illegal foreign workers were also found at construction sites outside Phuket, such as in Pattaya. Three weeks ago, police arrested nine Chinese nationals who were working without permits at a pool villa construction site.
There was no report on the identity of their employer or any legal consequences against them.
Besides Chinese nationals, some Laotian citizens were found working illegally in karaoke bars in Thailand.
Additionally, South Korean nationals moved into the country to work illegally as teachers in multiple language schools.
Latest Thailand News
