How many migrants/immigrants/ illegal and legal workers?

[Kanada]

One thing for sure Thailand is going to be forced to clean up this impossible problem that’s gone back years now!

As of last year (2020) there were more than 2,300,000 registered migrant workers in Thailand with millions of “unregistered” migrant workers (over 5 million by an old old 2005 count)…..by the way unregistered does not mean illegal in this case!

Theses workers are needed and necessary by Thailand…understand difference here “immigrant and migrant workers”! Thailand has welcomed and given permits ( to illegal as well as legal) and allowed them to stay in country as they’re are needed here!

**Now for the other group and it’s difficult to get numbers but from what Im reading there are also millions more completely completely illegal workers in country that Govt. is now trying to chase out????

In 2005 the number was “guesstimated” at over 5 million but I can’t find a later number than that so far and won’t be looking…we’ll guess more than the 2005 guess??!!

Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, Kanada said:

Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!

The rich people with factories know where they are but they don't want to tell the authorities because they would make less money. 

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

The rich people with factories know where they are but they don't want to tell the authorities because they would make less money. 

Thai Govt. has allowed manufacturers and others to use legal migrant workers and illegal workers for years….good for the economy and they’ve obviously known about the millions of other workers from Myanmar, Vietnam. Lao, etc.

They aren’t registered so unable to collect tax from them(?)….they put as little as possible back into the economy (!)…..it’s a mystery to me why they allowed this in the past but now I think they’re a huge problem with the spread of the virus and how do you get them out…how do you control their movements etc.

If these people get Covid they don’t go to hospital and run up a 100 or 200,000 baht tab…they stay home and stay off the streets or worse…they go to work because they need to eat????

[Kwasaki]

10 minutes ago, Kanada said:

Thai Govt. has allowed manufacturers and others to use legal migrant workers and illegal workers for years….good for the economy and they’ve obviously known about the millions of other workers from Myanmar, Vietnam. Lao, etc.

They aren’t registered so unable to collect tax from them(?)….they put as little as possible back into the economy (!)…..it’s a mystery to me why they allowed this in the past but now I think they’re a huge problem with the spread of the virus and how do you get them out…how do you control their movements etc.

If these people get Covid they don’t go to hospital and run up a 100 or 200,000 baht tab…they stay home and stay off the streets or worse…they go to work because they need to eat????

Well there's nothing farangies can do about, getting everyone and myself vaccinated is all I'm bothered about.

[Kanada]

43 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Well there's nothing farangies can do about, getting everyone and myself vaccinated is all I'm bothered about.

True as God made little red apples!!

????

[chilly07]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Well there's nothing farangies can do about, getting everyone and myself vaccinated is all I'm bothered about.

But if there is a 12m immigrant workforce living in cramped insanitary conditions they will eat up available vaccines at an alarming rate making it less likely that Thais and Expats will be vaccinated so it is of concern.

[Kanada]

54 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

But if there is a 12m immigrant workforce living in cramped insanitary conditions they will eat up available vaccines at an alarming rate making it less likely that Thais and Expats will be vaccinated so it is of concern.

Not so sure they’ll be first in line for vaccine (even if perhaps they should be)

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, chilly07 said:

But if there is a 12m immigrant workforce living in cramped insanitary conditions they will eat up available vaccines at an alarming rate making it less likely that Thais and Expats will be vaccinated so it is of concern.

Thais are being jabbed first in our province then Farangies I just keep myself isolated as I have done and when vaccinated will keep myself isolated well into next year so it's of no concern to me. 

[2 is 1]

There is much workers from Laos in Isaan. Surely not leagal workers. Some farmer who need cheap seasonal help not going to register those in oder to pay tax. Also in many home stay etc. place work unleagal worker's. If you give them 100 to 150 bth/day they are happy.

[allanos]

"Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!"

 

Perhaps the OP would like to take a stab at what these myriad other problems might be that undocumented  migrants might manifest, and which are causing him so much concern, sleepless nights even?

 

Is there a simmering powder keg somewhere that we haven't considered, much less heart about through the grapevine?

 

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

Thais are being jabbed first in our province then Farangies I just keep myself isolated as I have done and when vaccinated will keep myself isolated well into next year so it's of no concern to me. 

Kwasaki it’s a really good idea…I have a friend close to the source here and from info. I get we’ve got a long row to hoe yet before we even begin to get a handle on this!

I'm in Samoeng and we have a big outbreak all along Mae Rim Highway to the West and Samoeng itself has two nurses and 7/11 staff plus 7 new cases tracked back to the market there this morning.

First time I feel any real concern since March 2020!

Everywhere I look people here doing their very best to social distance and mask up …they want to get back to work!

It’s a real shame!

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, 2 is 1 said:

There is much workers from Laos in Isaan. Surely not leagal workers. Some farmer who need cheap seasonal help not going to register those in oder to pay tax. Also in many home stay etc. place work unleagal worker's. If you give them 100 to 150 bth/day they are happy.

Very true

[Kanada]

15 minutes ago, allanos said:

"Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!"

 

Perhaps the OP would like to take a stab at what these myriad other problems might be that undocumented  migrants might manifest, and which are causing him so much concern, sleepless nights even?

 

Is there a simmering powder keg somewhere that we haven't considered, much less heart about through the grapevine?

 

**Sleepless nights?!

**Summering powder keg?!

**Myriad of other problems??!!

Easy big fella…..you’ll hurt yourself way out there ????

No idea what you’re on about or why but I’m sure you’ll be right back to let us in on it????

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, 2 is 1 said:

There is much workers from Laos in Isaan. Surely not leagal workers. Some farmer who need cheap seasonal help not going to register those in oder to pay tax. Also in many home stay etc. place work unleagal worker's. If you give them 100 to 150 bth/day they are happy.

It’s great that’s they get a chance to make a living and feed their families too but…..no ones been watching this issue until now!

Now those unregistered workers move around at will and all of a sudden it’s a big problem and difficult to clean up!

Certainly another issue the Govt. didn’t need to be dealing with at this moment! That’s how problems are tho’….????…they seldom have a schedule that suits yours.

[MayBeNow]

Does anyone know how many Western immigrants (legals and illegals) are there in Thailand?

Any statistics on that? Possibly with breakdown of country of origin.

Edited July 15, 2021 by MayBeNow

[swissbie]

5 hours ago, Kanada said:

Thai Govt. has allowed manufacturers and others to use legal migrant workers and illegal workers for years….good for the economy and they’ve obviously known about the millions of other workers from Myanmar, Vietnam. Lao, etc.

They aren’t registered so unable to collect tax from them(?)….they put as little as possible back into the economy (!)…..it’s a mystery to me why they allowed this in the past but now I think they’re a huge problem with the spread of the virus and how do you get them out…how do you control their movements etc.

If these people get Covid they don’t go to hospital and run up a 100 or 200,000 baht tab…they stay home and stay off the streets or worse…they go to work because they need to eat????

You don't seem to know a lot about Thailand. Migrant workers do a lot of work that Thais won't do and they are very important for the economy. They don't pay tax, but not because they are not registered, rather because they don't earn enough to be taxable.

[Kanada]

2 hours ago, swissbie said:

You don't seem to know a lot about Thailand. Migrant workers do a lot of work that Thais won't do and they are very important for the economy. They don't pay tax, but not because they are not registered, rather because they don't earn enough to be taxable.

I think that’s pretty much what I said…Thailand has allowed non migrant and migrant workers to stay here whether they are  registered or not because it’s good for the Thai economy….no one disagrees with that!

My point was the millions of workers that are not (legal or otherwise) ….just transients working here and there wherever they can find work and make enough to feed themselves is something that Thailand is just “now” being forced to deal with to stop the spread of a virus ???? 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Kanada

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, Kanada said:

Kwasaki it’s a really good idea…I have a friend close to the source here and from info. I get we’ve got a long row to hoe yet before we even begin to get a handle on this!

I'm in Samoeng and we have a big outbreak all along Mae Rim Highway to the West and Samoeng itself has two nurses and 7/11 staff plus 7 new cases tracked back to the market there this morning.

First time I feel any real concern since March 2020!

Everywhere I look people here doing their very best to social distance and mask up …they want to get back to work!

It’s a real shame!

Yeah its sad but there's nothing I or you can do about it, keep yourself safe thats all we can do.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, Kanada said:

If these people get Covid they don’t go to hospital and run up a 100 or 200,000 baht tab…they stay home and stay off the streets or worse…they go to work because they need to eat

That's what screwed up Samut Sakhon/Songkram fishing industry earlier this year, the Pineapple factories recently and all the construction sites in and around Bangkok.

Thailand has a dilemma, it needs low paid slaves to make products at affordable prices or it becomes non-profitable. Trouble is when something like this happens it can't kick them out because so many Thai businesses would simply fold.

[Kanada]

30 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

That's what screwed up Samut Sakhon/Songkram fishing industry earlier this year, the Pineapple factories recently and all the construction sites in and around Bangkok.

Thailand has a dilemma, it needs low paid slaves to make products at affordable prices or it becomes non-profitable. Trouble is when something like this happens it can't kick them out because so many Thai businesses would simply fold.

Ahhhh someone got the point I was trying make……yeeeeeyayyy ????

[bbko]

"Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!"

Like most of us here on this forum I am a foreigner in a foreign country, why would I be concerned about illegal workers here and why should WE go looking about for their (Thai's) problem?  

  

[thaitom]

The police know where the thousands of illegals are where I live. They are under their protection. Every single one of them must pay 100 baht a month to live here, 100 baht a day if they want to work.  Guess who collects the money ? The police even have a separate shop set up just for this. The police even patrol farms to make sure everyone has paid.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

all here due to asean low cost supply & rich thai demand. so no problem.

everybody generally satisfied. appear to be 10%+ thailands population !

with amnesties, difference between illegal & legal is but a piece of paper.

“nothing to see here, move on......”

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, bbko said:

"Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!"

Like most of us here on this forum I am a foreigner in a foreign country, why would I be concerned about illegal workers here and why should WE go looking about for their (Thai's) problem?  

  

Referring to the cases of the virus and where they’re coming from!!

If it’s a Thai problem it’s our problem as well until things get back to some semblance of normal…..that is unless you’re just here to take what you can get and scuttle away

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, thaitom said:

The police know where the thousands of illegals are where I live. They are under their protection. Every single one of them must pay 100 baht a month to live here, 100 baht a day if they want to work.  Guess who collects the money ? The police even have a separate shop set up just for this. The police even patrol farms to make sure everyone has paid.

Not 1000’s of illegals….millions and no one know where they all are and as for all being under the protection of the police is just another ludicrous opinion with absolutely not a shred of evidence.

Jeeez….don’t you bother to read what you write before you hit send??

[Kanada]

1 hour ago, bbko said:

"Its a huge number obviously and an obvious place to look for problems we haven’t even thought about yet!"

Like most of us here on this forum I am a foreigner in a foreign country, why would I be concerned about illegal workers here and why should WE go looking about for their (Thai's) problem?  

  

and where do you think the virus is being generated and spread 

Tourists?? Thais?? Mountain people whose villages are shut off from the rest of the country for 6 weeks now?

or is it possible it’s millions of undocumented people moving back Ams forth between Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam etc…or maybe you think their using the border crossings????

If Thailand has a problem so do the rest of us who live here on a permanent basis

[thaitom]

12 minutes ago, Kanada said:

Not 1000’s of illegals….millions and no one know where they all are and as for all being under the protection of the police is just another ludicrous opinion with absolutely not a shred of evidence.

Jeeez….don’t you bother to read what you write before you hit send??

come to my village , it is common knowledge, there are not millions where i live thousands yes. 48km. outside maesot. I will personally give you a tour. And yes the police let them live and work here if they pay.  I have lived in this village for over 25 years. they have other activities . Not an opinion , A FACT.

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by thaitom

[Kanada]

1 minute ago, thaitom said:

come to my village , it is common knowledge, there are not millions where i live thousands yes. 48km. outside maesot. I will personally give you a tour. And yes the police let them live and work here if they pay.  I have lived in this village for over 25 years. they have other activities they control. lottery ,

 

so it’s common knowledge….1000’s around your village…we’re talking a country with 70,000,000 people here

[Kanada]

1 minute ago, Kanada said:

so it’s common knowledge….1000’s around your village…we’re talking a country with 70,000,000 people here

As of 2005, it was confirmed by the Thai government that there are 1.8 million registered and legal foreign workers and illegal immigration is as much as 5 million in Thailand.

 

[thaitom]

1 minute ago, Kanada said:

so it’s common knowledge….1000’s around your village…we’re talking a country with 70,000,000 people here

start driving towards umphang from maesot.  you will see for yourself.