‘ Many Foreigners Working Illegally’, Say Thai Officials

[TheGhostWithin]

I find it hard to imagine how many Russian speaking Thai tour guides are being deprived of jobs.

They are not concerned that Russian speaking Thais are out of work; in reality - they are concerned that the Ruskies are not using their overpriced services for tours in which the taxi driver cannot communiate with them.

They are not interested in providing a quality service, just a service which is more beneficial to them, and to kick out the Farang, who have no right to share in the success of Thailand. It is Thai Land, after all. Time we were all enlightened with reality!

This is just a bunch of xenophobic, monopolistic thugs out upset because someone is doing something better than them at a better price and they cannot compete. The media should be ignoring them and the Russian Mafia should sit down with the Tuk Tuk and Taxi mafia of Phuket and have a little talk. Bad people should have bad things happen to them.

[moe666]

hehehe Many of the posters here crack me up complaining about the tuk=tuk mafia on Phuket when you say you will never go back there to visit. Give it to the Russians good ridance

[TheGhostWithin]

The Thai protestors were not concerned about whether the Russians were operating legally or not – they just wanted them out

There are a surprising number of Thai businesses including restaurants etc operating in Russia. How about if the Russians decide to kick out all the hardworking Thais in Russia in retaliation because they want them out?

Third world mentality at its worst.

I have a hard time believing any of this. Russia is an extremely dangerous place for dark-skin foreigners. Mobs of skinhead gangs attack Asians, Indians, Africans, Arabs and just about anyone who appears non-white on a daily basis in broad daylight. Most of the time they get away with murder and/or a small slap on the wrist. Knowing how most Thais love their country dearly, I doubt any are going to the cold, un-hospitable and dangerous Russia.

They come to New Zealand, to my city, where winters get down to 0 and summers rarely go above 23 or 24. They work for restaurant owners, typically always Thai, who pay them under the table (tax evasion), pay them irregularly and scam them out of hours work - their own countrymen. There are hundreds of restaurants in Auckland, the largest city alone.

If there shall be a war on Russians, well, it may be the Aussies next, or maybe the Germans.. maybe Mr. Ma-an will request a ban on Brastwurst sausages as Thai Sai Oua sausages which are local are losing demand due to the quality of the German sausages..

The market is either open (for investors and workers alike) or it is closed and xenophobic, you cant have both.

[crazydrummerpauly]

Two points : First, the inflexible rules, red-tape, and cost of getting work-permits in LOS are a real disincentive. Second, AS A RESULT, many legitimate THAI businesses employ farangs and are desperate to have them - i'm thinking particularly of language-schools that need native-speakers but are not big enough to go the legitimate work-permit route, which i think requires the business to have an asset-value of 1 Million Bt for each permit ? (Corrections welcome if this is wrong.) I live in a far-flung Isaan town, and in a 4-year period have met dozens of farangs teaching English without permits, and the first to complain if this was clamped down on would be the THAIS they work for. These businesses presumably have an 'arrangement' with the local Police, and i cannot see how it does any harm to the Thai economy or Thai society, apart from that element of corruption, which is never attractive. The schools benefit; the kids benefit; the traveling farang teachers benefit; and if anything gets learnt, so do the kids and their families if their language-skills help with employment. Of course, this is a long way from pissed-off taxi-drivers and the farang competition, but it is a response to the 'Many Foreigners Working Illegally' in the headline.

(Recommended: See JeffreyMcCollum's post above)

Edited January 29, 2013 by crazydrummerpauly

[KarstenBoAndersen]

Maybe they should arrest all the indians, nepalese etc. who work for the Thais !

They work as sales persons all over the island, a job that is restricted to Thais only !

The Thais only complain because some take their business away from them, they had cheated all for so many years now !

When ASEAN opens up, most Thai companies will go bankrupt, as foreigners can do everything better and cheaper !

[MacChine]

THe problem is the Russian tour companies are arranging transport in busses and mini vans. Thus " stealing" the taxi customers. Yes those companies are Thai owned, but they are hiring guides that cannot work or don't have proper permit.

The mini vans were getting quite a rep for bad driving too in a couple of very serious accidents.

Incidentally it is not 3000 to make a trip to Patong from the airport, granted you may be told this but just work your way through the touts inside the airport property. should be about 8- 900

Those prices are outrageous enough, though.

I an sure every licensed tuk tuk was being driven by the same guy as on the license.

What a ridiculous situation. If the Russians can't access services from Russians they will disappear, and then the tuk tuk drivers won't have any business. Dumb.

I work illegally....I clean the garden and carport each day.......what a load of wank!

Sounds tough stuff, By the way who cooks, cleans the home, shops . washes clothes. irons, cleans the car,--you sound too busy to do any of that ???.... sorry for my English humour.

Isn't that what the wife is for ?

Edited January 29, 2013 by MacChine

[Charlie Cheap]

Then, government officials and police in the area called for a new round of bribing to sort things out properly.

That pretty much sums it up.

[Hans Sierhuis]

I can't wait till the Russians take over the TUK-TUK bussines. Love to see them protesting. Next step will be the samlor business??

[homelyboy]

Russia is an extremely dangerous place for dark-skin foreigners.

There is a certain degree of xenophobia in Russia, true, but it is mostly directed towards those who are perceived as potential danger by the Russian society: massive low-class labour immigration from certain Central Asian countries and people from the Northern Caucasus with their clan mentality. I've never witnessed any aggression towards S-E Asians. I traveled around Russia with my Thai friend for 4 weeks about an year ago and encountered no instances of phobia or aggression based on his ethnicity.

Saying 'Russia is an extremely dangerous place for dark-skin foreigners' is simply untrue.

[bkk_mike]

If foreigners are caught working without a work permit, they will be arrested immediately, he said.

Must be time to arrest tourists for checking their work email? After all, this is Phuket. It's obviously not a major tourist destination...

I do wish Thai politicians would think before coming out with crap like this.

[Ian Curtis]

It's not complicated at all. Just arrest all the illegal workers and businesses. Problem solved.

I saw a 'foreigner' mowing his front lawn the other day!

[homelyboy]

if Thais can work freely in Russia

No, they can't. It must be said that getting a work permit in Russia is a nightmare.

[noitom]

Thais aren't getting their proper skim. That's what this amounts to. Everyone knows that. The newspaper knows that. Russians working in a Russian tour office can't be replaced by Thais, but the Thais want their cut.

[Hans Sierhuis]

if Thais can work freely in Russia

No, they can't. It must be said that getting a work permit in Russia is a nightmare.

For god sake, who wants to work in Russia?? I got some ideas what to do with that continent but surely that will be deleted..

[khaowong1]

The Thai protestors were not concerned about whether the Russians were operating legally or not – they just wanted them out

I suppose these greedy morons also want the Russian tourists who pay their rip off charges out as well? Idiots.

There are a surprising number of Thai businesses including restaurants etc operating in Russia. I would imagine some of this money makes its way back to Phuket. How about if the Russians decide to kick out all the hardworking Thais in Russia in retaliation because they want them out?

Third world mentality at its worst.

I was thinking the same about Thai businesses in the US.. (mostly restaurants) (some tour operators). I hear about 25 percent of the Thai people who work there don't have a work visa or their visa has expired and they are in the US illegally. What would happen if the US, England, Australia and those other countries closed those Thai businesses down? Would that make those taxi drivers in Phuket happy? My guess these protestors have never been outside Thailand and really don't give a shit about anybody but themselves..

Edited January 29, 2013 by khaowong1

[JulesMad]

The Thai protestors were not concerned about whether the Russians were operating legally or not – they just wanted them out

I suppose these greedy morons also want the Russian tourists who pay their rip off charges out as well? Idiots.

There are a surprising number of Thai businesses including restaurants etc operating in Russia. I would imagine some of this money makes its way back to Phuket. How about if the Russians decide to kick out all the hardworking Thais in Russia in retaliation because they want them out?

Third world mentality at its worst.

If they close down all the Russian companies, then I suspect that all the Russian tourists will disappear as well. They protesters haven't though this one through. If the Russian companies can't work in Phuket, they will work somewhere else, and take the tourists with them. But there probably needs to be some sort of crackdown on illegal workers.

Great! Let's do it!

[JulesMad]

Well...a big part of the problem is how difficult it is to form a company and or obtain a work permit.

Because of the "Thai Way" of doing things many foreigners simply take the chance and operate a business or work illegally while knowing that something can be "arranged" if and when they are arrested.

If the means of getting a work permit and or forming a company was not so dam_n frustrating and bureaucratic and considerably costly then less foreigners would be operating a business illegally or working illegally.

Meantime, like another person pointed out...this will involve some cash payments made to the police to smooth things out...as always.

Better than kicking everyone out of town and or throwing them in jail.

You have hit the nail.........smack in the middle.

Absolutely right!!! Today I was offered a new Work Permit for 'only' 95,000 THB (45,000 THB for making false accounts and fake accounting papers, 25,000 THB for the Thai lawyer, and 20,000 THB for 'under the table'. Normally I pay 3000 THB at the Labour office... It is better to work without WP, because if they want to fukc you over (with or without WP), they WILL fukc you over!

[Thai at Heart]

How the hell does someone prove that someone is a tour guide?

In just about any other country it would be decided that it would be to difficult to prove. Foreigner sitting with tourists showing them around. I will be doing that with my relatives next week.

[Tywais]

if Thais can work freely in Russia

No, they can't. It must be said that getting a work permit in Russia is a nightmare.

For god sake, who wants to work in Russia?? I got some ideas what to do with that continent but surely that will be deleted..

Hmm, Russia happens to be in the same continent as Thailand.

[wilcopops]

THe Thai system - or lack of it - for work permits etc is so muddled and unenforceable that it is wide open to corruption and abuse.

I would venture to say that almost every foreigner with a work permit is at some point in breach of his/her permit.

Teachers in particular seem to be under the radar when it comes to working.largely because the demand is out-stripping the legal supply.

Many people don't seem to realise that their permits are job and LOCATION specific.

However I know that many businesses have "ghost" employees or pay the NI for employees of other companies just so they c exist.

Edited January 29, 2013 by wilcopops

[Hugh Jarse]

"The Thai protestors were not concerned about whether the Russians were operating legally or not – they just wanted them out – but they also asked officials to check the legality of the businesses."

Once again the Phuket taxi and tuktuk mafia can do what they want, and once again the Phuket authorities bow to their outrageous demands.

Anyone remember when the Phuket taxi and tuktuk mafia with the help of the Phuket authorities illegally forced THAI tour operators to hand over their customers from cruise ships and american warships. I am surprised the Phuket taxi and tuktuk mafia don't just stand outside one of the local banks and ask for the money in the vault. I am sure the Phuket authorities will show up and arrange some kind of settlement whereby the bank only has to give them half the money in the vault!

Phuket authorities and the taxi/tuktuk mafia are a disgrace to the human race!

Not only that, but to the country as a whole! Officialdom/ authorities (if that is the right term) in Phuket and Bangkok are simply unable to wipe out , or even, ameliorate organised and disorganised crime on that festering ,dump in the Andaman Sea .

[Hugh Jarse]

"The Thai protestors were not concerned about whether the Russians were operating legally or not – they just wanted them out – but they also asked officials to check the legality of the businesses."

Once again the Phuket taxi and tuktuk mafia can do what they want, and once again the Phuket authorities bow to their outrageous demands.

Anyone remember when the Phuket taxi and tuktuk mafia with the help of the Phuket authorities illegally forced THAI tour operators to hand over their customers from cruise ships and american warships. I am surprised the Phuket taxi and tuktuk mafia don't just stand outside one of the local banks and ask for the money in the vault. I am sure the Phuket authorities will show up and arrange some kind of settlement whereby the bank only has to give them half the money in the vault!

Phuket authorities and the taxi/tuktuk mafia are a disgrace to the human race!

Not only that, but to the country as a whole! Officialdom/ authorities (if that is the right term) in Phuket and Bangkok are simply unable to wipe out , or even, ameliorate organised and disorganised crime on that festering ,dump in the Andaman Sea .

[Soi Sauce]

Thais hate competition. Also their business motto and moral, nationwide, is "Xxxxxx the Customer."

Another shining example of such.

As for wiping out crime; How is that possible when most of the major criminals are in gov. or gov.paid positions?

Edited January 29, 2013 by metisdead
: Profanity

[jrincon17]

Welcome to what our countries face each and everyday Thailand. Lol

[Hans Sierhuis]

if Thais can work freely in Russia

No, they can't. It must be said that getting a work permit in Russia is a nightmare.

For god sake, who wants to work in Russia?? I got some ideas what to do with that continent but surely that will be deleted..

Hmm, Russia happens to be in the same continent as Thailand.

exactly, that includes Thailand

[Charlie Cheap]

The Phuket taxi/tuktuk mafia, who robs, scams, beats up and kills toursist, is the single most damaging thing to Phuket and it's tourism industri. Yet nothing is EVER done about it. But when a few russians, who do no damage to anyone except a few taxi driver scumbags, contribute to the tourism industry by taking good care of russian tourists, then suddenly it is a big problem that must be stopped!?!?

Thai logic?

Sounds legit

[surangw]

shutting down illegal businesses of all "flavors" would seriously cut into the income of most police and other "officials"

[MegaRanter]

Phuket sounds like an independent nation. So happy I no longer call Thailand home.

[balo]

What about just shutting down Phuket instead ?

Who needs the place anyway.

[zydeco]

What about just shutting down Phuket instead ?

Who needs the place anyway.

What about just shutting down Phuket instead ?

Who needs the place anyway.

Just build a barricade, dump in all the Russians and taxi drivers. And then call in Kurt Russell.