111 Thai Workers Have Been Arrested In South Korea Drug Crackdown

[sriracha john]

Thai workers arrested for drug offences

A total of 111 Thai workers have been arrested in South Korea for selling or using drugs as part of a crackdown on foreigners.

Chief of the Employment Department Pairoj Suksumrit said South Korean authorities had not released the names of the suspects, pending investigations. The Koreans say three of the arrested Thai workers were dealers and 108 were users, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said. They would be deported and blacklisted. "Thai workers were watched by South Korean police for suspected involvement in drugs," he said. Suphat Gukhun, director of the Overseas Employment Administration, said one unconfirmed report stated the workers obtained the drugs through the post. The most recent arrests were made in raids between Aug 18 and Sept 23 at restaurants and migrant worker communities in Gyeonggi province, south of Seoul. Most suspects were found with methamphetamine pills in their possession. Labour Minister Uraiwan Thienthong said she was worried the arrests would taint the image of Thai workers. The minister's counsellor in Seoul, Pornpong Kanittanon, warned it could affect the quota of Thai labourers accepted by South Korea.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/250908_News/25Sep2008_news14.php

===========================================================

Given the same number involved and that people need to work, I'm wondering if the 111 arrested are the same 111 Thai Rak Thai party executives that were banned from politics.

[geriatrickid]

Given the same number involved and that people need to work, I'm wondering if the 111 arrested are the same 111 Thai Rak Thai party executives that were banned from politics.

No. Most likely impoverished slaves labourers sent to work in Korea to pay off debts or support families. The drugs are taken to facilitate toiling longer hours to pay off the snakeheads. I won't be surprised if the 3 dealers were in the employ or connected to the labour suppliers?

[sriracha john]

Given the same number involved and that people need to work, I'm wondering if the 111 arrested are the same 111 Thai Rak Thai party executives that were banned from politics.

No.

I'm not sure about that... these descriptions of the negative image they create applies to the TRT execs...

and afterall, they did control the Ya Ba Drug Wars...

and afterall, since their banning, they do need to find work...

I wouldn't be surprised that they might have had to resort to being fishermen and bricklayers... they weren't rich to begin with...

Thai workers arrested in South Korea on drug charges affect Thailand's image

BANGKOK, Sept 24 (TNA) - Arrests of 111 Thai workers in South Korea on charges of selling or consuming drugs have painted a negative image of Thailand, according to a senior Thai Labour Ministry official Wednesday.

Director General Pairoj Suksamrit of the Employment Department, said he had received reports from labour officials at the Thai embassy in Seoul that 111 Thai migrant workers were apprehended from September 18-23 on charges of trafficking and consuming methamphetamines.

A South Korean police officer said three workers in Gyeonggi province south of Seoul were charged with smuggling and distributing the drug and the rest had been indicted for consuming them. Four were deported for overstaying work permits.

Mr. Pairoj said Thai authorities would not take any legal action against the deported Thai workers because their cases would be considered closed in that country.

As South Korean police continue their investigation, Mr. Pairoj said not all Thais use drugs and that his office would continue to select Thai workers wishing to work in South Korea on November 9 as planned earlier.

Some 10,000 Thai workers will be sent to work in Korea and this time their applications and records will be checked thoroughly, Mr. Pairoj said.

About 50,000 Thai workers in South Korea are employed legally in factories, construction, agriculture and the fisheries sectors, and an estimated 15,000 illegally.

Edited September 25, 2008 by sriracha john