migrants
- Pattaya News
Sleeping Indian tourists in viral Pattaya video were migrants
A viral video that took social media by storm last week, allegedly showing Indian tourists snoozing on Pattaya Beach, has been debunked. The supposed tourists were, in fact, migrants. The controversial video, widely shared online, drew heavy criticism after it appeared to capture over 100 Indian tourists taking over a tract of Pattaya Beach. They were filmed setting up impromptu…
- Road deaths
Tragic collision kills Myanmar migrant in Thai smuggling attempt
Thai police on Tuesday responded to a tragic accident involving two pickup trucks on the Sangkhla Buri-Three Pagodas Pass road in Kanchanaburi. At the scene, a silver pickup truck with side railings was discovered with damage along its right side, while the driver had reportedly escaped under the cover of night. Approximately 10 metres away, a black pickup truck had…
- Thailand News
Thailand grants citizenship to 483,000 migrants
The Thai government’s recent decision to grant citizenship to a significant number of migrants and ethnic minorities has received a warm welcome from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The move, announced by the Cabinet yesterday, aims to provide Thai citizenship to over 483,000 individuals who have either been residing in Thailand for an extended period or were born within…
- Thailand News
Northeast Thailand: Duo nabbed smuggling 10 Chinese migrants
In a dramatic late-night pursuit, immigration officers, together with Pa Rai police, intercepted a pickup truck smuggling 10 illegal Chinese migrants in the Don Tan district in the northeastern province of Mukdahan yesterday, September 4. Acting on a tip-off, officers were ready and waiting when the truck appeared. Officers spotted the suspicious vehicle at around 11pm and signalled for it…
- Thailand News
New refugee screening system stirs fear among asylum seekers
Bangkok is home to a church where Vietnamese refugees find a temporary haven from lives fraught with fear of arrest or deportation. This is because Thailand, having not signed up for the UN Refugee Convention, does not have a system in place to differentiate between refugees and other migrants, resulting in thousands of individuals living under the radar. Soon, a…
- World News
Malaysia’s human resource ministry corruption probe presents opportunity for migrant worker system reform
The ongoing investigation into Malaysia’s Human Resource Ministry over allegations of corruption in foreign workers’ recruitment has cast a shadow on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, which came to power after the November 2022 general election on an anti-graft platform. Officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have arrested three senior government officials connected to the Human Resource Minister Sivakumar’s…
- World News
US braces for migrant influx as pandemic-era asylum rules end
As United States pandemic-era rules expire, the country is preparing to face thousands of migrants, resulting in deep divisions over immigration. These individuals are seeking safety and shelter in the US, but with a rising wave of nationalism, the welcome they receive may be uncertain. The Texas cities of El Paso, Brownsville, and Laredo have declared a state of emergency,…
- Hot News
Pattaya Police arrest 14 street beggars including nine kids
Pattaya Police are cracking down on street beggars by arresting 14 just last night. The arrests come after many complaints from tourists and residents. The arrests were of migrant workers, nine of whom were aged two to six years old. Patikorn Sornchai, deputy commander of Chon Buri Provincial Police, led the operation while Social Development and Human Security Officers combed…
- Thailand News
New app to help migrant women in Thailand facing abuse
UN Women and Thai non-government organisations (NGOs) have collaborated to create a new app for migrant women in Thailand facing sexual abuse and violence. The app has been named “Smart Domestic Workers.” Smart Domestic Workers provides information on ways that migrant women can protect themselves from violence, in four languages: Thai, English, Burmese, and Khmer. Users can search for hospitals,…
- South Thailand News
Songkhla officials investigate migrant smuggling network
Officials and police in southern Thailand’s Songkhla province are investigating an illegal migrant smuggling network. On Monday, officials and immigration police set up an ambush in a forest in the Hat Yai district. Illegal Burmese migrants had been staying there. After the authorities waited through the night and into the next day, 2 pickup trucks showed up, and the migrants…
- World News
Starving Rohingyas found in South Thailand national park
The chief of a national park in south Thailand announced yesterday (Saturday) that 59 Rohingya migrants had appeared on a beach there .The chief, Phanpong Kongkaeo, said his assistant alerted him that the 59 people appear to be starving and had no food or supplies with them. Phanpong said he has ordered food and drinking water for them. Tarutao National…
- World News
Manhunt continues for escaped Rohingya refugees in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities are still on the hunt for 130 illegal Rohingya migrants, who escaped barefoot from a temporary immigration depot near the Kedah-Penang border on Wednesday, after a riot broke out at the facility early yesterday morning. The refugees were reportedly protesting overcrowding at the facility when the situation escalated into a riot. The undocumented migrants, still on the run,…
- World News
Kanchanaburi fishery official allegedly smuggled migrants from Myanmar
Police caught a fishery official at a checkpoint in Kanchanaburi province allegedly smuggling three migrant women from Myanmar into Thailand. Police say the official confessed to illegal transporting the women across the border. All were taken to Muang district police for legal proceedings. The Burmese women were charged with illegal entry and the official with helping foreigners enter the country…
- World News
Four migrants in Songkhla discovered to have Covid-19, treated in hospital
Police arrested 22 migrants from Myanmar in Songkhla last night, and four tested positive for Covid-19. They are now being treated at a hospital, while the rest of the migrants in the group await legal measures on charges of illegal entry, and pending deportation. District officials found the 22 men hiding in bushes, and reporters at the Bangkok Post said…
- World News
Songkhla man arrested on suspicions of trafficking Burmese migrants to Malaysia
Following last month’s arrest of 31 Burmese migrants trying to cross through Songkhla province into Malaysia, police have now caught a man suspected of trafficking them. Yesterday, police in Sadao district arrested Saiyid Ratdaewa after finding him in a house he was renting. Police say they found that Saiyid was a job broker for migrants seeking jobs in Malaysia. Police…
- Thailand News
Thai officials say to “look out for” illegal migrant workers amidst Covid-19 surge
This morning, a government spokesman said people in border provinces have been told to “look out for” illegal migrant workers as governors prepare for an increase in Covid-19 infections. He also said people should report “suspicious looking strangers” to authorities. He said police and labour officials have been told to check and make sure factories aren’t hiring illegal migrants, and…
- Thailand News
More than 100 migrants caught in Kanchanaburi for alleged illegal entry
Thai border patrols arrested 107 Burmese migrants for allegedly illegally crossing the border into the western province Kanchanaburi on Sunday. The migrants told Thai officials they came from Phayathonezu, Moulmein, Yangon, Bago and Dawei townships in Myanmar. They crossed into Thailand seeking jobs here. Authorities also arrested one Thai guide for providing assistance to people illegally entering the country. Authorities…
- South Thailand News
Burmese migrants trafficked through Thailand caught by Malaysian border
Last night, Thai soldiers caught 31 Burmese migrants on the Thailand-Malaysia border, illegally passing through Thailand and hoping to work in Malaysia. The migrants were found hiding in a ditch on a rubber plantation in Sadao, a district of Songkhla province. The group 25 men and six women had reportedly travelled from Myanmar’s Myawaddy township. After they crossed into Tak…
- Thailand News
126 Burmese migrants seeking jobs arrested in Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai for illegal entry
Thai border authorities arrested 126 people from Myanmar for allegedly crossing the Thai border illegally on Sunday, evading the mandatory quarantine and immigration screening. The arrested people had reportedly crossed into Chiang Mai and Kanchanaburi provinces. Four men and eight women were caught in Sangkhala Buri District, while patrols found 38 men and 38 women hiding in bushes next to…
- Visa Information
Visa agent accused of pocketing 230,000 baht after promising visa extensions
A woman claiming to be a visa agent is being accused of promising visa extensions for 25 migrant workers, but pocketed hundreds of thousands of baht. The owner of a bedding supplies company in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok, filed a complaint with police saying she paid the agent to get visa extensions for 25 of the 40 migrants…
- World News
46 Cambodian nationals arrested after trying to illegally cross Thai border
At least 46 Cambodian nationals have been arrested for allegedly illegally crossing over the Thailand border in Sa Kaeo province. Police there say the arrests are happening daily as the Cambodian nationals are trying to find work in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces. And, with the Covid-19 pandemic, the allegedly illegal border crossers are paying as much as 20,000 baht to…
- Thailand News
2 Thai women arrested transporting 7 Burmese migrants
At a checkpoint in Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi, 2 Thai women were arrested smuggling 7 Burmese migrants and a child, apparently attempting to transport them back to Myanmar. The stop took place at around 7 am this morning and the women were arrested in violation of provincial communicable disease committee orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Officials at…
- Economy News
Government considers tax cut for highly-skilled foreign workers
The Thai government is considering cutting the rate of personal income tax for highly-skilled foreign workers, in order to attract more talent to the kingdom. Ekniti Nitithanprapas from the Revenue Department says officials are mulling the possibility of reducing the rate to 17%. The Bangkok Post reports that the rate of personal income tax in Thailand is based on salary…
- World News
14 Burmese migrant workers arrested in Songkhla
14 Burmese migrant workers were arrested yesterday in Songkhla, a southern Thai province. They were on the Thai border opposite Malaysia’s Kedah State. The migrants were arrested in 2 groups. One group was arrested yesterday afternoon after a Toyota truck was stopped along the border at the Rai Tok village. Officials discovered 7 Burmese migrant workers inside, 4 men and…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 screening centre in Bangkok temporarily closed to migrant workers
After many migrant workers infected with Covid-19 were reportedly abandoned at the Public Health Ministry’s Pre-Admission Centre in Bangkok, it is now temporarily closed to migrant workers. The centre is used to screen people who are infected with the virus before sending them to a facility for treatment. Apparently, a number of workers have been dropped off at the centres.…
- Thailand News
Phetchaburi factory sees more than 2,000 infections, field hospital on the way
After a Phetchaburi province factory has seen Covid-19 infections go from 682 to more than 2,000, a field hospital is on the way to help treat infected workers. The Cal-Comp Electronics factory in the southern province’s Khao Yai district features 781 Thai workers, while the rest are from Myanmar and other countries. Authorities say the 2,111 infections are expected to…
- World News
Dozens of Burmese migrants arrested at Thai-Myanmar border for entering illegally
As many flee Myanmar to escape violence following the February military coup, Thai border patrol arrested 60 Burmese migrants yesterday for crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally into Kanchanaburi. Another 52 migrants in the province were arrested on Monday. Officers suspect many entered Thailand in search of jobs. The migrants were charged with illegal entry as well as violating emergency orders…
- World News
Investigation underway after 77 migrants allegedly contract Covid-19 at Thai immigration centres
The Disease Control Department has launched an investigation after 77 migrants seemingly contracted Covid-19 while being held at Thai immigration centres in Bangkok. It’s understood around 68 of the illegal migrants are Burmese, while the others are Laotian and Cambodian nationals. They are being detained at immigration offices in the Bangkok districts of Bang Khen and Lak Si. According to…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Pyramid scammer arrested, first vaccines arrive next week | February 16
A 45 year old Thai woman, known as Jay Phet, has been arrested, along with several Burmese accomplices and nearly 400 of the trafficked migrants. She was arrested for acquiring illegal Burmese migrants, getting them over the border… undetected, and then sending them to the Central Seafood Markets along the coast of Samut Sakhon province, just south west of Bangkok.…
- Crime News
Thai woman arrested for allegedly running labour trafficking operation linked to Samut Sakhon market
Police arrested a 45 year old Thai woman for allegedly running the country’s largest illegal labour trafficking operation and bringing undocumented Burmese migrants into Thailand to work at the Central Shrimp Market in Samut Sakhon, the epicentre of the new wave of Covid-19 infections. Ratree “Jay Phet” Vechsuwan was arrested on Friday. Police say she trafficked migrant workers for more…
