The Ministry of Labour released inspection groups to investigate, arrest and proceed with cases for employers and businesses using illegal foreign labourers, as well as increasing rigidity to combat illegal foreign labourers in the workforce, taking action upon relevant wrongdoers in all areas around the nation and to protect problems of human trafficking. The emphasis of inspection will be on construction, restaurant, karaoke and fresh market businesses.
The Ministry of Labour’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Nakorn Silpaarcha released inspection groups to investigate, arrest and proceed with cases for employers/businesses and illegal foreign labourers. He stated that the government had waivered policies for foreign labouers escaping from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia to work in the Kingdom temporarily, to register and apply for work permits. The National Council for Peace and Order had announced this with announcement number 118/2014 on the 21st July 2014 and in accordance to orders by the National Council for Peace and Order number 100/2014 and 101/2014 established on the 21st July 2014. In terms of provincial inspections in 5 provinces with most problems, include Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Provinces which enforced laws with foreign labourers and relevant parties. The registration period ended on the 31st October 2014, with laws effective as of the 1st November 2014.
The systematic management of foreign labourers is one of the Ministry of Labour’s missions which must control, manage and care for, in order to abide by outlined laws. From the government’s waiver policy for foreign labourers escaping into the Kingdom to register, there has been 1,626,235 registered labourers brought by employers, consisting of 664,449 Myanmar citizens, 738,947 Cambodians and 222,839 Laotians. However, there are still many employers that have not gone through the legal procedures, therefore officials from the Department of Employment in collaboration with the Office of Labour Protection and Welfare have been assembled into 3 policing teams, each consisting of 10 officers to operate inspections, arrest and proceed with cases against employers/businesses and illegal foreign labourers. Furthermore, provincial inspection teams would also operate inspection, suppression, arrests and proceed with cases for foreign labourers escaping in to the country for work and human trafficking systems, in order to reiterate to employers to think about penalties when found in breach as well as to enhance rigidity in eliminating illegal foreign workers and all relevant parties in breach, in all areas throughout the nation, in addition to preventing human trafficking.
Mr. Nakorn further stated that the policing teams to inspect, arrest and proceed with cases for employers/businesses and illegal foreign workers would emphasis inspections in construction, restaurants, karaoke and fresh market businesses which are viewed to have high numbers of foreign escapees illegally working. If an employer/business is in breach or a foreign labourer is caught, cases will be processed according to the law.
From the 1st November 2014 to the 6th January 2015, there has been inspection, suppression, arrest and procession of cases for illegal foreign workers and businesses within the Bangkok area. Inspections have been made in 65 places with 992 workers being inspected. Cases have been processed for 6 employers and 44 illegal foreign workers consisting of 15 Myanmar citizens, 14 Cambodians, 5 Laotians and 10 labourers from other nationalities. As for other provinces, inspections had been made at 327 places of business with 9,341 labourers being inspected. Cases had been proceeded with 26 employers and 182 illegal workers consisting of 83 Myanmar citizens, 54 Cambodians, 15 Laotians and 30 others from other nationalities.
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Bureau of Public Relations
9 January 2015
Kantipon Kusmit – News
Sompob Silbut – Photos
