Crackdown on Illegal Foreigners in Sukhumvit-Asok Area

[hotchilli]

4 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 while using Thailand as a base for illicit activities.

One day Thailand will open up.... 

[watchcat]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

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

You mean the Myanmar people sponsored by the RTP. ?

[Caldera]

Yawn, yet another ineffective crackdown just for show.

[Purdey]

I would like to understand why Thais alone are unable to serve the needs of the market in the Sukhumvit area. Why do foreigners think there is a gap in the market that they can fill? 

 

Partly, it could be the foreign vendors speak English. But then, most Thais who sell goods around that area speak some English. And for Thai customers, locals speak the lingo better and should beat foreign competitors. Also, sex toy sales is a risky business so perhaps there's not much local competition. 

 

I can only conclude that their home countries like Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Nigeria and Cambodia have insufficient jobs and such poor economies that any money made in Thailand is better than back home. 

 

Anyone have a different perspective? 

[Mr Dome]

New ones will replace them, even if they deport the ones caught. This won't ever change (or only if you constantly check everyone's ID and perhaps even then it won't - how annoying would that be?) and I'm neutral on this.

People have to survive & eat. People will always go somewhere else in search of a better life. I wish them well.

[ThailandRyan]

39 minutes ago, Kaopad999 said:

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

Many are escaping persecution and genocide in their own countries, especially those who have fled from Myanmar.  There is no agency helping these folks in order to assist them in staying here legally. The UNHCR has attempted to intervene yet the Thai government will do nothing to help those from elsewhere.  Even Stateless people battle the system here for decades before being recognized.

 

A job in order to survive is a necessity, pushing them back into there countries is a sure recipe for disaster and possibly death.  Amnesty for these folks needs to be given and assistance in obtaining documents is needed.  The current Myanmar regime is not assisting folks outside of it's borders unless you already hold documents.  Obtaining a Birth Certificate or National Identification card means traveling back to where you were born, many of these townships have been destroyed in this current genocide.  

[DepDavid]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

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....

And engineers builders lawyers and all the 49% owners who are hands on!

[Jack Hammer]

3 hours ago, phetphet said:

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

 

[Jack Hammer]

Just now, Jack Hammer said:

 

Also check out in Soi 4 Nana, hookers standing shoulder to shoulder along Soi 4    Great selection 

[PingRoundTheWorld]

Instead of picking on poor street vendors trying to scratch a living out of the bottom of the barrel - why don't they arrest and deport the one population that makes the area scary at night - Africans? It would be incredibly easy to spot and catch the drug dealers, pimps, and prostitutes - if they wanted to.

[Maejo Man]

Why not do a purge in the car park of the Grace hotel? I'm sure that would yield better results!

[bananafish]

What about the drug dealers who are so obvious they may as well have "I'm a drug dealer" emblazoned on their clothing. 

[connda]

They are busting people who look like Thais to most farang.

It's not like Joe Sixpack is out there selling somtum in a motorcycle cart.

[steven100]

4 hours ago, FruitPudding said:

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

 

I'll report back tomorrow.

yes,  they need to clean them up and deport them back to Nigeria.

[herfiehandbag]

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

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

 

3 hours ago, Hokeus said:

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.

 

2 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Instead of picking on poor street vendors trying to scratch a living out of the bottom of the barrel - why don't they arrest and deport the one population that makes the area scary at night - Africans? It would be incredibly easy to spot and catch the drug dealers, pimps, and prostitutes - if they wanted to.

In a word, networks.

 

The large numbers of West Africans on that part of Sukhumvit must have a network that is well connected. That is the only possible explanation for the way in which they have been able to operate so blatantly for, what, the last ten years? That network presumably pays handsomely for their apparent immunity. After all, it is not just the guys hustling on the streets, someone has to be bringing the stuff into the country and distributing it to the hustlers. It is entirely left alone by the police. There will be a lot, probably an eye watering, amount of money involved.

 

[LikeItHot]

7 hours ago, Neeranam said:

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

Who? You have a name? Address?  Why have you not reported it?

[sambum]

"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."

 

For selling a few bits and pieces on a roadside stall on Sukhumvit? ????

 

P.S. Not one "farang" among 'em! Yippee!

 

[Hokeus]

2 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

 

 

In a word, networks.

 

The large numbers of West Africans on that part of Sukhumvit must have a network that is well connected. That is the only possible explanation for the way in which they have been able to operate so blatantly for, what, the last ten years? That network presumably pays handsomely for their apparent immunity. After all, it is not just the guys hustling on the streets, someone has to be bringing the stuff into the country and distributing it to the hustlers. It is entirely left alone by the police. There will be a lot, probably an eye watering, amount of money involved.

 

Some may be protected in some way. But the reality is that most or all come in on fake passports showing they are from South Africa or an East African country, thus the government doesn’t know they are West African. So when they eventually do get deported and black listed for overstay, they just come right back in under a new fake alias. That’s why they never seem to make much progress in getting rid of them. What’s worse about them though is that their scam offers to sell illicit drugs are often used as a means of starting a conversation with an unsuspecting tourist which then might lead to a larger scam involving black money, Bitcoin investment, or one of their other common street scams. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

yes,  they need to clean them up and deport them back to Nigeria.

Why? 

 

Who else is going to sell their drugs for them?

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

In a word, networks.

 

The large numbers of West Africans on that part of Sukhumvit must have a network that is well connected. That is the only possible explanation for the way in which they have been able to operate so blatantly for, what, the last ten years? That network presumably pays handsomely for their apparent immunity. After all, it is not just the guys hustling on the streets, someone has to be bringing the stuff into the country and distributing it to the hustlers. It is entirely left alone by the police. There will be a lot, probably an eye watering, amount of money involved.

It's controlled by them, not left alone.

[Mr Meeseeks]

23 minutes ago, Hokeus said:

So when they eventually do get deported and black listed for overstay, they just come right back in under a new fake alias.

Very difficult, or nearly impossible given biometrics and fingerprinting used now. 

[Hokeus]

3 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Very difficult, or nearly impossible given biometrics and fingerprinting used now. 

The fake passports are likely real and government issued, only the alias is fake. Also, presumably the system doesn’t do an automatic search to match every newly entered face or set of fingerprints against an entire existing database to look for duplicates. That would require too much processing power and put a constant heavy load on the system when there are up to 50,000 new entries per day and an existing database in the millions. So duplicates might only be discovered (if at all) under a manual search when someone is arrested. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 minute ago, Hokeus said:

The fake passports are likely real and government issued, only the alias is fake. Also, presumably the system doesn’t do an automatic search to match every newly entered face or set of fingerprints against an entire existing database to look for duplicates. That would require too much processing power and put a constant heavy load on the system when there are up to 50,000 new entries per day and an existing database in the millions. So duplicates might only be discovered (if at all) under a manual search when someone is arrested. 

The system will flag if a person is blacklisted at any entry or exit point where the biometric systems are employed. That's exactly why it cost billions to implement. 

 

The only way in would be to use an entry point that is not using biometrics or fingerprints. Not sure if there are any left now.

 

They also have facial recognition software and BMWs with facial recognition cameras on patrol so only a matter of time before you would be picked up even with fake ID.

[geisha]

I’ve seen a lot of foreigners selling drugs on Bangkok streets , also women in the rag trade, and they are not Asian or European. 

[Jonathan Swift]

12 hours ago, ezzra said:

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.

What we call "whack a mole". Same everywhere, same with drugs, prostitution, always been that way, always will be. 

[Dogmatix]

12 hours ago, Neeranam said:

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

Of course. They are selling on behalf of police drug gangs. 

[Dogmatix]

No sting operations on foreign hookers operating in the Nana area? In the past plain clothes cops got a budget to have sex with some of these and arrested them when they had finished, keeping their knotted up condoms as evidence. Only problem was that that their wives saw their faces on the news and make complaints to the Bangkok police chief about the police methodology. You couldn't make this stuff up.

[tomazbodner]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

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. 

I'm reading and re-reading the above and can't figure it out... Does it mean that you now need a work permit to be a tourist? How do you apply for a work permit to be a tourist?

[tomacht8]

Deputy Commander of the Immigration Bureau, who promptly ordered inspections of foreign nationals involved in unlawful employment practices and tax evasion.

.

The tax argument seems exaggerated to me. I doubt that the small, temporary street stalls living hand-to-mouth pay VAT and/or income taxes at all. I've never received a receipt there. 

[Roosterlips]

20 hours ago, Neeranam said:

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

Brown envelopes speak many languages.