Reasons for Immigration Crackdown

[SunsetT]

 

Vietnamese coming to work illegally in Thailand are being heavily cracked down upon and are one of the target nationalities for this immigration crackdown. Indeed, given that there is no special visa for them (unlike Lao, Cambodians and Burmese) I don't know why they keep trying thinking they can blend in simply due to their physical appearance and work illegally at some shoe factory or on a fishing boat (or whatever kind of work they do - no idea what is it). I would like to know where they are working as I have come across only a tiny handful of them in Thailand, mainly at the Cambodian border heading back to Vietnam.

 

The abuse needs to stop and of course every foreigner who works illegally, overstays etc. is partly responsible but clearly Vietnamese and citizens of other neighboring countries are the biggest abusers as they typically come in larger numbers and are willing to work for peanuts. The Vietnamese are also known to be amongst the biggest group of illegal workers and overstayers in southern China, particularly in Guangxi province and Guangdong, both in close proximity to northern Vietnam and offering a higher standard of living and higher wages than in impoverished Vietnam. The large number of illegal Vietnamese prompted Hong Kong to end visa free stays for Vietnamese there a few years ago and now all Vietnamese need a visa even for a short trip to Hong Kong, thanks to the abusers.

 

You are on to something there Tomtom...Where are the Vietnamese in Thailand?  Go to Nong Khai and head down river towards Nakhon Phanom ... stop at Phon Phisai and other small towns along the way.  In Phon Phisai one can hear Vietnamese music on loud speakers and spoken Vietnamese on the streets.  There are small Vietnamese food stalls all over the area and especially at the Open Air Markets.  In Phon Phisai most of the movie channels on the local cable service have English language movies with Vietnamese subtitles - not Thai.  The largest restaurant in Nong Khai is a huge waterfront place called Daeng's ... I attended a Vietnamese wedding in Phon Phisai with a 1000 guests in attendance.  Those clever Vietnamese are out there hiding in plain sight...

 

Most Vietnamese in these areas bordering the Mekong r probably legal. These communities are descended from refugees of  the Vietnam war. Ho Chi Min was living in Nakhon Phanom and his house is now a minor tourist attraction. They were given land by the king in Nakhon Phanom, some with river frontage in the middle of the town which is worth a fortune now.