Permit Data Base To Cover Farang, Burmese, Vips

A VIP group among non-Thai workers on Phuket is being suggested as part of a computer data base overhaul that would make information about all outsiders on the island available across most official departments.

Thais from other provinces could also be included.

The access to a complete data base would enable more departments to instantly check on the status of the person they were dealing with.

There are 7746 ''foreign'' residents on work permits, according to Vice Governor Worapoj Rattasima. These permits are traditionally dealt with by the Immigration Department.

A total of 29,264 Burmese, Laotians and Cambodians also have permits to work, mostly in construction, on plantations or as house maids. These are traditionally dealt with by the Provincial Employment Office.

-- Details at www.phuketwan.com