Thailand will punish migrants for stealing Thai jobs

Thailand will punish migrants with the full force of the law if they’re found to be stealing Thai jobs.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha directed the Department of Employment to promptly enforce the law against an increasing number of migrant workers who are occupying positions designated for Thai citizens.

In response to this, the authorities conducted raids on 14,104 workplaces across the country between October of last year and Monday, resulting in the discovery of 600 cases in which migrant workers had violated the rules regarding reserved jobs.

The Department of Employment screened 196,402 migrant workers, of whom 264 were from Myanmar, 121 from Cambodia, 97 from Laos, 39 from Vietnam, 51 from India, and 28 from other countries, and found that 600 of them had taken up jobs reserved for Thai citizens, reported Bangkok Post.

Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin warned that migrant workers who are found to be working without a valid work permit or are occupying restricted jobs could be subject to a fine of up to 50,000 baht. Furthermore, employers who are found to have hired such migrant workers will also be fined up to 100,000 baht for violating the 2017 law that regulates the management of foreign workers.

“If the migrants repeat the offence, their employers will face up to a year in jail, a fine of up to 200,000 baht per migrant, or both. They will also be liable to a three-year suspension from employing migrant workers.”

The director-general of the Department of Employment, Pairoj Chotikasathien, stated that according to a ministerial announcement, migrant workers are explicitly forbidden from working in a broad range of occupations that are exclusively designated for Thai citizens. Such jobs include positions such as public transport driver, wood carver, and barber.

“Under the labour-related memorandum of understanding, migrants are limited to doing only two kinds of jobs, namely menial work and selling goods at stores, to ensure there is no job scarcity for Thais.

“Most restricted jobs taken up by migrant workers were street vending, hairdressing, public transport jobs and traditional massage.”

The Immigration Bureau’s Division 1 revealed that 11 people from Myanmar were arrested by immigration police last week for illegally selling roti and kebabs on the popular Khaosan Road.