Picture courtesy of พัทยา จุดเกิดเหตุ 

 

Immigration police in Chonburi, together with tourist police, have raided a clandestine office hidden within a condominium in Pattaya, arresting nine foreign nationals accused of working illegally and overstaying their visas/permission of stay.

 

The bust followed a tip-off from the building’s management, who had noticed suspicious behaviour from one particular unit. According to reports, the occupants had installed multiple internet connections and were regularly ordering large quantities of food, unusual for what was assumed to be a residential apartment.

 

Authorities raided a fifth-floor unit where they discovered the apartment had been converted into a covert office space. Inside, officers found one Chinese national and eight individuals from Myanmar seated at computers, allegedly working as online administrators and customer service agents for an overseas website, further details were not disclosed by authorities.

 

The detainees claimed they were hired to manage foreign websites and respond to customer enquiries, with the promise of a monthly salary of 30,000 baht. However, according to their statements, none of them had yet received any payment.

 

Upon further investigation, police found that several of the workers’ visas/permission to stay had expired, while others were nearing expiration. Crucially, none of the nine individuals possessed valid work permits.

 

They now face two charges under thee law:

 

• Working in the Kingdom without a valid work permit.

• Overstaying or remaining in the Kingdom beyond the permitted duration.

 

All suspects were taken into custody and transferred to Pattaya City Police Station for legal proceedings, as full investigation are ongoing.

 

Authorities say the case highlights the ongoing issue of illegal foreign labour operations in Thailand, especially those operating behind closed doors in urban centres like Pattaya. Law enforcement agencies are urging the public and property managers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities through official government channels.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from พัทยา จุดเกิดเหตุ 2025-06-25

 

 

 

"Working"       In Thailand this is a dirty word.....many Thais don't like it... and those who work must have a workpermit if you are not Thai, even volunteer work is not allowed and many other jobs that are protected, so that almost nothing is left...Protectionism will kill the economy nowadays... Thailand forget.. these men, although not working with a workpermit, pay rent, eat, drink and probably do other things which is a contribution to the economy... But Thailand like to kill everything by outdated laws and rules..

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand forget.. these men, although not working with a workpermit, pay rent, eat, drink and probably do other things which is a contribution to the economy

 

Lets face it, they were probably running some kind of scam or illegal activity and they hadn't been paid either.

 

They should have rented a house in a normal street but there's always someone watching the hated foreigner

 

Why imprison or deport productive people? Enslave them and profit from that productivity. They could muck out swine barns and perform other tasks the Thais find distasteful.