Illegal migrant labour and sex work challenge Thailand’s tourism

[TroubleandGrumpy]

26 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

There is and was nothing wrong with what I have stated with personal knowledge of these facts and of the Cambodians in question.

I never mentioned the Philippines.

The point and yourself often seem to miss each other - despite many attempts by many posters.

Maybe you should slow down and try to understand what others are saying.

We are not attacking you - we are disagreeing with what you are writing. 

[bristolgeoff]

Does not exist by the gov.The ladyboys fighting the other night by thai and  the phillipines.Nothing about selling themselves or working.they were just tourist in bkk

[rattlesnake]

2 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

There are a LOT of industries in Thailand that are currently having troubles with illegal workers from 3rd world countries who arrived on this idiotic Visa free entry scheme - which was all in the name of tourism growing the economy.  They are taking jobs and income away from Thais - and most of them are sending their money back home and then coming back later in the year to do it all again and again and again. 

 

Sounds a lot like my place, France. No wonder the PM is off to see Macron, they can both discuss their respective plans to wreck their countries.

[Scouse123]

31 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

The point and yourself often seem to miss each other - despite many attempts by many posters.

Maybe you should slow down and try to understand what others are saying.

We are not attacking you - we are disagreeing with what you are writing. 

 

 

I know exactly what you said. You said I was wrong and then went on talking about Filipinos.

 

You also say there has been a massive increase in illegal employment despite visas becoming easier.

 

That is possible when people don't have the time nor means to wait when they are running from conflict as is very possible in the case of the Burmese.

 

Can you support your claims of this huge increase in illegal workers with links and facts?

 

It would be better instead of the single word, "Wrong!!"

 

I don't need to slow down with anything and my reading skills are fine.

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, Trevor Collins said:

Were these spokespersons born on Mars because they're from a different planet to the rest of us? Do they really believe the words they are using to describe the situation in Pattaya are honest, truthful and summarise the current set of circumstances? If this is the best Thailand can offer then the country is in serious trouble. 

No. They are lying, they know they are lying, but that is what they do for a living. They are hoping enough naive people buy into their BS. There is no sincerity in the government.  None. Not at the national level. And that applies to this entire planet, with few exceptions. Granted, some are more skillful at the BS than others. 

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Wrong.  That has been the case for a long time - no dispute.  There has been a lot of legals and illegals in the past.

BUT since they changed the Visa rules - free easier and longer - a lot more people are in Thailand working illegally. This issue with the Philippinos is only one group - there are many more across a lot of industries.   

 

 

Well, this is what Thanet had to say:-

 

Thanet believes that the majority of operators would prefer to legally employ local workers and foreign workers with work permits if the process were simpler, to avoid potential penalties. However, the current immigration process is complicated and inconvenient, causing some operators to resort to illegal recruitment.

 

“With our tourism industry suffering a severe domestic labour shortage following the pandemic, the government should relax regulations regarding the employment of foreign workers. We still need them to sustain our industry.”

 

It kind of flows in the opposite direction to what you are saying.

[Homburg]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thanet highlighted that Pattaya is a hotspot for illegal foreign labour, housing unskilled workers from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, and the Philippines. Many of these workers, he noted, have a better command of the English language than the local Thai workers.

 

Clearly NOT unskilled then as proficiency in English, certainly in a tourist town, is a valuable skill that perhaps the Thais should themselves develop? 

[Cabradelmar]

You reap what you sow... Illegals are easier to employ than any others. And that's what Thai businesses want. Labor they can exploit for cheap. If they cared otherwise, the laws would be changed and/or properly enforced. 

[Cabradelmar]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Pinijkarn added that Pattaya’s reputation has evolved...  shifting away from its previous image of being primarily focused on nightlife and sex tourism.

That's rich 🤣🤣🤣 I needed a good laugh. 

[sambum]

Did I not read (again!) only a few days ago that a senior police official said that there was no evidence of prostitution in Pattaya, which is now a haven for families and sight seeing tourists? 

[sambum]

".............acknowledged the persistent problem of foreigners illegally working in the service industry in Pattaya and across Thailand."

 

Yes, it's a pity the Police and Immigration don't approach the problem with the same enthusiasm as they pursue overstayers, or maybe they are getting some financial incentive not to?

[cncltd1973]

Mr Thanet is bringing some truth to the conversation, that doesn't happen often in Thai bureaucracy, hope they give that man a promotion

[Jack West Jr]

What Mr Thanet proposes is eminently sound and logical so it probably doesn't stand a chance in this hidebound, fossilised political climate . 

[BerndD]

2 hours ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Wrong.  That has been the case for a long time - no dispute.  There has been a lot of legals and illegals in the past.

BUT since they changed the Visa rules - free easier and longer - a lot more people are in Thailand working illegally. This issue with the Philippinos is only one group - there are many more across a lot of industries.   

WRONG? Nothing is wrong! But together with the new visa-rules it´s more worst now!

 

[Expat Tom]

I am a farang who follows all of the laws and regulations to get and renew my visa year after year.

I have lived in several different cities in Thailand and taught English at a major Thai University in BKK.

I am curious, strolling down Walking Street in Pattaya I see several bars and gogo clubs that advertise in boldly  with brightly lit neon signs, "Russian Girls". Exactly what kind of visa does a Russian lady (of the night?) working in these clubs have to have? What visa requirements to they meet? Is their visa delivered in a brown envelope? 

This is not some sort of clandestine underground enterprise. These clubs boldly advertise "Russian Girls" and there are Russian girls standing at the door and in the street beconding "guests/customers" inside. 

If the immigrations officials or police are having problems finding these clubs I would be happy to show them.

 

Can I make this post and ask this question without fear of a "knock at my door"?

 

 

[Bday Prang]

19 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

If the immigrations officials or police are having problems finding these clubs I would be happy to show them

you would be better advised and a lot safer if you minded your own business Mr Teacher.   Other peoples Visas and the the way they are obtained are nothing to do with you.

[brewsterbudgen]

5 hours ago, Mywayboy said:

I understood Prostitution in The Kingdom is illegal.

Maybe I misunderstood hmmmm !!!

Yes, you misunderstood.  Many aspects surrounding prostitution are illegal, but paying for or providing sexual services isn't itself illegal. 

[malibukid]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Total BS. Burmese workers are doing alot of work that the locals will not do. Not referring to the sex industry. Many other menial jobs. The nation would shut down overnight without immigrant labor. Same in the US and in Europe. Immigrants are needed, legal or not, and it is time to stop belittling what they bring to the table. 

 

One of the reasons there are so many illegal immigrants in the US, is that the immigration process is too difficult, and the quota system is so outdated.

you could say the same thing about the illegals in California.

[Expat Tom]

45 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

you would be better advised and a lot safer if you minded your own business Mr Teacher.   Other peoples Visas and the the way they are obtained are nothing to do with you.

Exactly! You are stating the obvious. Are you one of the owners of these bars and clubs? I will take your comment as my "Knock at the Door" and have been warned. Thank you for your comment. You have proven my point. 

[Bday Prang]

31 minutes ago, Expat Tom said:

Exactly! You are stating the obvious. Are you one of the owners of these bars and clubs? I will take your comment as my "Knock at the Door" and have been warned. Thank you for your comment. You have proven my point. 

Yes I am stating the obvious, at least it would be obvious to anybody with any common sense, that grassing people up to the authorities can indeed be a risky choice.

No I am not the owner of any bar or club.   I have not warned you I have advised you, I thought that would be clear by what I wrote, especially to a teacher.

I very much doubt, that somebody who has spent most of their life in the protected environment of academia has any concept of the consequences of becoming a police informant , or is equipped to deal with them. 

exactly what "point" of yours have I proven?     

[CLUBBER]

6 hours ago, Ricardo99 said:

Such as all those Indians try to sell sunglasses and fake watches in BKK

Indian from Burma

[JackGats]

Thailand needs immigration badly, what with Thais increasingly considering any hard work is below them.

[proton]

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Yes, you misunderstood.  Many aspects surrounding prostitution are illegal, but paying for or providing sexual services isn't itself illegal. 

 

You have not read the 1996 suppression of prostitution act then

 

http://www.asianlii.org/th/legis/consol_act/pasopa1996528/

[john donson]

so they don't do 90 days and stuff?  good guys are dumb...

[stargrazer9889]

Officially there is no prostitution inThailand, but the

hanky panky industry is in full swing. 555

[geisha]

11 hours ago, breaky9973 said:

It's the Thai companies who actively recruite people from neighbouring countries, so to save money on salaries and tax. And since foreigners can earn 3 times at much doing simple work in Thailand, than working at their country, they gladly take the risks.

Thailand would be at a standstill if there were no more migrant workers. 
Who would build the condos, roads, etc. Who would do the dirty work, deliver water etc ? Restaurants would have no staff, same for hotels, even beach workers are mostly Birman in Phuket.  Same as in Dubai, fruit pickers in Europe and elsewhere, and of course in the US .

[geisha]

11 hours ago, wensiensheng said:

“Thanet suggests the government should legalise sex work. Like in certain European countries, this would bring the industry out of the shadows,”

 

sex work is in the shadows? Seems fairly front and center in your face to me.

Of course prostitution should be legalized ! These girls and boys have an absolutely horrible job taking on some of the slobs and nasties you see around. And I’m not only referring to foreigners, plenty of Thais in that category. It’s cruel to deny them of social help and welfare . It’s a job and has certainly never been hidden in the shadows, so should be legal.

 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Wait a minute, there is no prostitution in Thailand! If no visa is required with no checks then it is hardly surprising more than just tourists are using this opportunity to enter Thailand.

Did nobody consider that a possibility when this was implemented?

Hey, if you can't get a drink in the afternoon what else are all the sex tourists going to do, jet ski?

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

There are two great quotes by Thanet in this article:

 

"Pattaya is a hotspot for illegal foreign labour, housing unskilled workers from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, and the Philippines. Many of these workers, he noted, have a better command of the English language than the local Thai workers."

 

And

 

"regulations require operators to pay some nationalities, such as Filipinos, a wage that is two to three times higher than the local market rate. This rule, intended to ensure job availability for locals, should be revised, considering the ongoing labour shortage, to allow for the legal employment of foreign workers."

 

Is it time to admit, it legalize it and tax it?

 

 

[Gknrd]

Joke of the day!