Crackdown on Illegal Foreigners in Sukhumvit-Asok Area

[Roosterlips]

16 hours ago, DepDavid said:

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

Although I’d say 99.99% of foreign builders, lawyers and 49% owners are in compliance with their visas. 

[Matrosen]

Why don't they focus on the real criminals instead. This is people that just want to have money enough for food.

 

The ones that are hiring them are making the money & as long as they are not taken down, there will be new ones to replace the ones arrested.

[Kalasin Jo]

On 6/23/2023 at 4:15 AM, 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.

Probably by tomorrow 

[Kalasin Jo]

I've met quite a few working stalls and bars who I thought Thai but turned out to be from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia. I asked them how come? All said for better money to send home to family and claimed to have the necessary visas and work permits. And there is always someone further up the food chain taking a substantial % of what they make. Which is why this will continue.

[StayinThailand2much]

On 6/23/2023 at 9:50 AM, webfact said:

(...) but heir work permits were expired or only allowed them to be tourists. 

LOL. Since when do tourists need work permits?

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, Matrosen said:

Why don't they focus on the real criminals instead.

Because foreigners are easier pickings? Esp. if the Immigration Bureau is sent to do police work...

[StayinThailand2much]

On 6/23/2023 at 2:33 PM, Purdey said:

I would like to understand why Thais alone are unable to serve the needs of the market in the Sukhumvit area.

There has been mention (e.g. by Stickman) that there are fewer food vendors now compared to pre-Covid, so, perhaps, less Thais willing to do this kind of work. (My observation is that, even in other Bangkok areas, food vendors are, on average, much older now than a few years ago.)

[BangkokReady]

On 6/23/2023 at 9:50 AM, webfact said:

covert operations of foreign nationals

They don't look very covert in the photos... ????

[dddave]

On 6/23/2023 at 3:58 PM, steven100 said:

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

Sooooo much easier said than done.  There's this little catch-22.  A country can not deport an individual unless they know that persons true country of origin and in addition to that, that country must agree to accept the deported individual.   Most of the Africans around Sukhumvit have either questionable or no documentation.  They know the rules.  When asked where they are from, they say one place one day, another place another. 

There is no known test to determine where a person is actually from.  The country you may want to deport them to really isn't to anxious to have them back, thus they can and usually do demand positive proof of that persons origin.   

Sure, Thailand can arrest them and toss them in IDC indefinitely but IDC is already packed beyond capacity and new prisons cost a lot of money to build and staff along with the expense of feeding and caring for them. 

The last statistics I saw, there were more than 300 Nigerians incarcerated in Thai prisons already.   When Thailand did a big oil purchase with Nigeria about  8 years ago,  part of the deal was that Nigeria would send aircraft to pick-up and repatriate 300 or so prisoners at that time.  They made a similar deal with Iran.

Europe has the same problem.  Most European nations are overrun with illegals but what the hell do you do with them?  You cant jail them all.

[geisha]

On 6/24/2023 at 1:29 PM, Kalasin Jo said:

I've met quite a few working stalls and bars who I thought Thai but turned out to be from Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia. I asked them how come? All said for better money to send home to family and claimed to have the necessary visas and work permits. And there is always someone further up the food chain taking a substantial % of what they make. Which is why this will continue.

Many from those 3 countries  have work permits . Can say they certainly are hard workers and nice with it too.Many speak English and a very good command of Thai.

[geisha]

On 6/23/2023 at 8:56 AM, 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.

Walked down a Soi and wondered if I’d been transported to Africa !  Not much used to Sukhumvit apart from an occasional visit to terminal 21 or a nice meal in the Pullman, I was a bit shocked to be offered drugs, and I also came across some sort of clothes market where it was full of African clothes market  vendors. Not to my taste. Probably the police too afraid to go there ! 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, geisha said:

Probably the police too afraid to go there ! 

Au contraire....    The police are most definitely not afraid to go down there. 

 

They will go down their 'regularly' to recover the agreed 'tea-money' to allow them to continue to operate and work illegally....   just as in any area where there are plenty of migrant and immigrant workers. 

 

There will occasionally be a  'both feet in mouth' gallactically racist but not really racists, but is it racist?.... 'Operation Daam'....  with raids in this area, rounding everyone up...  A few Chief's with custard on their hats for a great photo-Op and a job well done....   back to normal a few weeks later before the media picks up on child porn just down the road so they have a crack-down on that.... before switching to 'foreigners' again using the brilliant 'smart BMWs' to catch a handful of overstayers...   and on and on it goes... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jak2002003]

3 hours ago, dddave said:

Sooooo much easier said than done.  There's this little catch-22.  A country can not deport an individual unless they know that persons true country of origin and in addition to that, that country must agree to accept the deported individual.   Most of the Africans around Sukhumvit have either questionable or no documentation.  They know the rules.  When asked where they are from, they say one place one day, another place another. 

There is no known test to determine where a person is actually from.  The country you may want to deport them to really isn't to anxious to have them back, thus they can and usually do demand positive proof of that persons origin.   

Sure, Thailand can arrest them and toss them in IDC indefinitely but IDC is already packed beyond capacity and new prisons cost a lot of money to build and staff along with the expense of feeding and caring for them. 

The last statistics I saw, there were more than 300 Nigerians incarcerated in Thai prisons already.   When Thailand did a big oil purchase with Nigeria about  8 years ago,  part of the deal was that Nigeria would send aircraft to pick-up and repatriate 300 or so prisoners at that time.  They made a similar deal with Iran.

Europe has the same problem.  Most European nations are overrun with illegals but what the hell do you do with them?  You cant jail them all.

Make them fight lions and bears like the Romans did.  Would being in a lot of money and good entertainment... bet they would stop arriving in such numbers then. 

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Make them fight lions and bears like the Romans did.  Would being in a lot of money and good entertainment... bet they would stop arriving in such numbers then. 

Them... you mean just the Africans....  or the Western overstayers / illegals too ?   

 

 

[Jeff the Chef]

The Nigerians are lovely people, I'm currently helping one of their Princes get his money out of the country.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

On 6/24/2023 at 2:46 PM, StayinThailand2much said:

There has been mention (e.g. by Stickman) that there are fewer food vendors now compared to pre-Covid, so, perhaps, less Thais willing to do this kind of work.

It's not an easy job, and it's not that profitable - and on top of that they have to "buy" their spot and pay police. With inflation raising ingredient costs and probably also increased "rent" profit margins have been hit hard. There's only so much you can charge for street food and still sell. Not much incentive for younger people to set up shop when they have more lucrative options. Like being a massage therapist serving wholesome Arab princes in Dubai. ????

[jak2002003]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Them... you mean just the Africans....  or the Western overstayers / illegals too ?   

 

 

All of them. Especially the western ones. Lol

[Hokeus]

On 7/3/2023 at 11:50 PM, geisha said:

Walked down a Soi and wondered if I’d been transported to Africa !  Not much used to Sukhumvit apart from an occasional visit to terminal 21 or a nice meal in the Pullman, I was a bit shocked to be offered drugs, and I also came across some sort of clothes market where it was full of African clothes market  vendors. Not to my taste. Probably the police too afraid to go there ! 

Chances are the drugs they are offering are fake and just another West African scam. Another reason it makes it harder for law enforcement to catch them breaking the law.