Crackdown on Illegal Foreigners in Sukhumvit-Asok Area

[webfact]

 

In response to public complaints and social media uproar, the immigration has taken decisive action to address the covert operations of foreign nationals engaging in illegal sales and running unauthorized food and beverage stalls, directly impacting the livelihoods of Thai citizens in prominent business areas of downtown Bangkok.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

On June 23, 2023, Lieutenant General Phakphiphat Sajjapun, Commander of the Immigration Bureau, summoned Lieutenant Colonel Phanapha Nuchanarot, Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau, Lieutenant Colonel Piyannan Tosakunwong, Commander of the 1st Division overseeing Bangkok, and Lieutenant Colonel Thanit Thaivataramas, Commander of the Special Branch Bureau, reported Siam Rath.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

They were tasked with organizing a joint operation involving numerous police officers under their command, including personnel from the Immigration Bureau's Investigation Division, the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Divisions, as well as the Provincial Immigration Police.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

The primary objective was to swiftly crack down on foreign individuals committing significant immigration and labor law violations, focusing primarily on the sidewalks along Sukhumvit Road from the Nana area to Asoke.

 

The operation started around 4:00pm and ended 8pm. 16 people were caught by the authorities. Among them were nine people from Myanmar, two from Cambodia, one from Laos, one from Vietnam, and one person without legal status. Alongside these foreign individuals, Thai employers who had hired foreign workers illegally were also identified and taken into custody.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

Most of the arrests happened while these individuals were actively selling food and clothing using movable carts and temporary stalls. Some tried to escape, but the officers quickly secured the area and successfully apprehended them.

 

A considerable number of those who were caught could not provide valid passports or work permits during the inspection. Some had passports, but their work permits were expired or only allowed them to be tourists. 

 

Lieutenant General Damrongsak Kittiprapat, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, entrusted the Immigration Bureau with the primary responsibility of investigating and enforcing the law against foreign nationals engaged in inappropriate behavior while residing in Thailand.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

He emphasized that these actions flagrantly violate the law, jeopardizing public safety, lives, and property, tarnishing the nation's reputation, and involving foreign criminal elements exploiting both Thai and foreign nationals while using Thailand as a base for illicit activities.

 

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Lieutenant General Phakphiphat Sajjapun, Commander of the Immigration Bureau, and Lieutenant Colonel Phanapha Nuchanarot, Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau, who promptly ordered inspections of foreign nationals involved in unlawful employment practices and tax evasion.

 

The goal was to ensure fair competition for law-abiding businesses and curb the unauthorized employment of foreign workers, actions that clearly contravene existing regulations within their jurisdiction.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2023-06-23

 

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[ezzra]

Give it some time and a new bunch of undocumented sellers will take the place of those who got scared away, and as long as Thai police will be what they are now, there not be an end to it.

[ChipButty]

give yourselves a big pat on the back after a good nights work, what do they plan to do with them? these people are barely surviving to start with.

[Gecko123]

 

First place I'd be looking for illegal aliens would be under the guy in the middle's shirt.

 

 

[Plern]

What a farce. As these are not Westerners they will be 'fined' and released.

 

I bet you could go down there today after 4pm and the same individuals will be there working illegally.

 

You cannot set up anything on a footpath without paying for it. That is simply a fact.

 

Maybe they could pull the ten cops off this and get them to process my 90 day report it's been sitting for a week ????????????‍????????????

[Neeranam]

What about all the foreigners selling hard drugs? They are untouchable I guess.

[ChrisY1]

48 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

First place I'd be looking for illegal aliens would be under the guy in the middle's shirt.

 

 

Isn't a police general though?

[dddave]

Ten plus years ago, a majority of the Sukhumvit vendors were deaf non-speakers. It was a large community and as Thailand has no support system for persons with disabilities, a very practical solution to their support needs.  Then the BMA decided to clean out all the Sukhumvit vendors and they were thrown out with no assistance plan.  It was pretty sad.

[grego49]

Wonder if they will do the same in Phuket?

[FruitPudding]

I wonder if there will be less black people loitering around Sukhumvit trying to peddle some business? 

 

I'll report back tomorrow.

[phetphet]

Public complaints, social media uproar, impacting the livelihoods of Thai citizens in prominent business areas, tarnishing the nation's reputation?

 

Aren't they over egging it a little? They caught sixteen people who were probably selling the same stuff as the Thai businesses.

 

Sure, crack down on illegal practices and grab the illegals, but what about the hookers and drug dealers that accost everyone along that strip of road? More than sixteen for sure between soi 19 and Nana BTS

[mokwit]

1 hour ago, dddave said:

Ten plus years ago, a majority of the Sukhumvit vendors were deaf non-speakers. It was a large community and as Thailand has no support system for persons with disabilities, a very practical solution to their support needs.  Then the BMA decided to clean out all the Sukhumvit vendors and they were thrown out with no assistance plan.  It was pretty sad.

The current crop of vendors, primarily "marital aids" sellers etc are not Thai. Not sure what Nationality they are.

Edited June 23, 2023 by mokwit

[mokwit]

Presumably the guys who stand outside the hotel coffee shop opposite Foodland were checked and found to not be competing with Thais or selling anything illegal.

[mokwit]

1 hour ago, Plern said:

What a farce. As these are not Westerners they will be 'fined' and released.

Exactly this. So many businesses with one foreigner and no sign of the wife and two other employees or a ratio of non Thai employees to Thais that the regulations only allow for priority BOI companies. A Westerner would last 5 minutes doing that.

Edited June 23, 2023 by mokwit

[Plern]

Watch copy sellers - all foreign (S. Asian). 101%. Even the street bosses are foreign ????

 

Seen the same blokes for YEARS

Edited June 23, 2023 by Plern

[ThailandRyan]

Doing jobs only a Thai can do. If that's so then why are Thai's not doing them.  Wonder if they are going to go from Business to Business as well or house to house and check all of the housekeepers, nannies, gardeners etc....

[khunjeff]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He emphasized that these actions flagrantly violate the law, jeopardizing public safety, lives, and property, tarnishing the nation's reputation, and involving foreign criminal elements exploiting both Thai and foreign nationals

These are sidewalk vendors, for god's sake - not Batman supervillains...

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

On June 23, 2023, Lieutenant General Phakphiphat Sajjapun, Commander of the Immigration Bureau, summoned Lieutenant Colonel Phanapha Nuchanarot......,

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The operation started around 4:00pm and ended 8pm.

I'm reading this at 1.20pm on the 23rd. More great Thai reporting. Some people don't even know what day it is is a common phrase in my native UK. Rings true here too, it seems.

[malathione]

44 minutes ago, Plern said:

Watch copy sellers - all foreign (S. Asian). 101%. Even the street bosses are foreign ????

 

Seen the same blokes for YEARS

How do you know they aren't Thai nationals? Did you ask to see their ID's?

[Ironmike]

It's way past the time when immigration police should be arresting there own at the airports like Phuket Airport when I returned with my girlfriend and her visa expired on the same day they Raped her for 5000 baht cash were going to send her back to Singapore,,, so 2henare these officers going to crack down more so on their own,,, I've got the bastards name, time and flight number plus his QR code for his number

[Hokeus]

If they want to clean up the illegal foreigners, they can start with the dozens of jobless West Africans sitting around on Sukhumvit Road at night aggressively offering illegal drugs for sale to people as they walk by.
 

They are certainly doing more harm and contributing nothing to the country than the undocumented food sellers who are providing a low-cost service to the locals.

[moogradod]

2 hours ago, dddave said:

Ten plus years ago, a majority of the Sukhumvit vendors were deaf non-speakers. It was a large community and as Thailand has no support system for persons with disabilities, a very practical solution to their support needs.  Then the BMA decided to clean out all the Sukhumvit vendors and they were thrown out with no assistance plan.  It was pretty sad.

I have always loved the lively athmosphere of these stalls on the walkways between Asoke and Soi 1. They not only did provide some livelyhood for the sellers - I think the tourists did like them as well. I do not believe that any of them did complain. All part of the wrong attitude to "clean" up the city like they did in Singapore - killing all the fun and leaving nothing but a sterile environment behind - like many have in their home countries and would want to leave behind to have a good time here. I have not been there for some years now but hope they left even a little bit of vendors and foodstalls alive. Maybe the responsible entities need some lessons of what is (was) lovable in Thailand and what is not. I think they really do not know and they think they are doing their best.

[TigerandDog]

13 minutes ago, Ironmike said:

It's way past the time when immigration police should be arresting there own at the airports like Phuket Airport when I returned with my girlfriend and her visa expired on the same day they Raped her for 5000 baht cash were going to send her back to Singapore,,, so 2henare these officers going to crack down more so on their own,,, I've got the bastards name, time and flight number plus his QR code for his number

did you really mean to type "Raped her for 5000 baht cash" or did you mean ripped her off for 5000 baht

Edited June 23, 2023 by TigerandDog
additional information

[Marco51]

2 hours ago, dddave said:

Ten plus years ago, a majority of the Sukhumvit vendors were deaf non-speakers. It was a large community and as Thailand has no support system for persons with disabilities, a very practical solution to their support needs.  Then the BMA decided to clean out all the Sukhumvit vendors and they were thrown out with no assistance plan.  It was pretty sad.

I saw and admired that income niche for disabled persons already over 30 years ago when every trip to BGK provided me with enough cheap Camel shirts and Musicasettes(for those who remember that system of canned music)for the next 3 months until coming back again. Only the lately popped up idea of pretending to the world we can be like Singapore but cheaper has led to hundreds of poor people without income, the loss of the greatest noodle soups in Asia -in front of the old Thermae after 2 in the morning- and the easy supply of take along lunches for the workers and office staff up and down Sukhumvit. Ah yes, there was this wonderful and exiting silom night bazar , more fun than nearby Patpong ....and more value for money. And, as we are talking about those times, there was the page in the Bangkok Post called Nightowl, informing all of us about the mostly farang moving parts of Bangkok............when Nana Plaza was still to 80% a parking lot with a wonderful Lebanese restaurant ....and Lucky Luke's and great Satay at the entrance and the nut wallah . To repeat David Bowie "where are we now?"................Oh Nostalgia!!!!!

[Kaopad999]

I do feel for these people, but breaking the law by working illegally does come with a risk of being caught and deported. 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Kaopad999

[herfiehandbag]

3 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

 

First place I'd be looking for illegal aliens would be under the guy in the middle's shirt.

 

 

I should imagine he is a Special Branch undercover operator - after all no one in their wildest dreams would imagine that he is a lean, mean, steely eyed dealer of justice!

[sammieuk1]

A crackdown in Asok ????

[bignok]

The ones in Silom are happy they choose that area.

[herfiehandbag]

It was always my understanding that the principle endeavour of the constabulary on that part of Sukhumvit was running a sophisticated and comprehensive protection racket for the street traders. I wonder how this fits in, perhaps another level of taxation.

 

Why on earth is Special Branch involved? I thought they existed to monitor terrorist suspects and political extremists? Mind you, I don't suppose that there is much scope for informal fiscal arrangements in that field - so perhaps they are moonlighting?

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

 

First place I'd be looking for illegal aliens would be under the guy in the middle's shirt.

 

 

In thisguys oops disguise, he was going on his gut instinct