Links revealed between police and migrants on Koh Tao

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Links revealed between police and migrants on Koh Tao
Thanapat Kitjakosol
The Nation
Koh Tao

BANGKOK: -- OUT OF more than 5,000 migrant workers living and working on Koh Tao, around 2,000 live illegally by paying police Bt500 a month to work there.

Those who own or use motorcycles on this tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand, without a rider's licence, pay another Bt500 each month.

Migrants living illegally in Thailand are sometimes issued special cards by police to indicate they pay a monthly fee (ie. bribe). Animal stickers stamped on these cards, carrying their name, photo and name of the Thai employer/s they work for, are changed monthly by the police.

The animal for September is the turtle.

The migrant workers, either living illegally or legally, make up half of Koh Tao's population and the police's racial bias against them is well known.

Soon after the murder of two British tourists on the island on September 15, their attitude was made clear in news reports as they turned first to migrants as the prime suspects. No suspects have since been caught or identified, let alone migrant suspects.

The district chief of Koh Pha-ngan, Thaweesak Inphorme, whose governing authority covers Koh Tao, said there were 3,300 immigrant workers, mostly from Myanmar, registered and working legally on Koh Tao. All those registered pay Bt1,305 each year to benefit from a social security scheme like Thai people.

He said there would not be a crackdown on illegal residents and entry until on-going measures to restore security and immigration on the island were complete.

The kamnan of tambon Koh Tao, Korbchai Saowalak, estimated there were around 1,100 illegal workers staying with friends or in communities with compatriots on the island. This made identification and registration of them difficult, even if a crackdown is made.

Surat Thani provincial military authorities have begun registering all migrant workers for easier management and quick identification in case of similar crimes occurring in the future. Commander Maj-General Theenachat Jinda-ngern gave an order to Army personnel in Fort Vibhavadi Rangsit in Surat to begin registration work after a meeting of tourist business operators and civilian authorities last Friday.

A Myanmar worker, Jor, 50, said he and his family stayed and worked illegally at a boat service company on Koh Tao 10 years ago, and could remit Bt5,000, out of a Bt9,500 salary, to his relatives in their home country every month. He said he would continue working here either legally or illegally.

A helper at a vegetable shop, Mumu, 27, said Myanmar people liked to work in Thailand as they earned more money and could live peacefully. She entered Thailand through Ranong province, and has worked here illegally for nine years. She now earns Bt6,000 a month.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Links-revealed-between-police-and-migrants-on-Koh--30244575.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-02

[ClutchClark]

It sounds like they earn in one month what a typical farang (not a pensioner) spends in a day.

[ColdSingha]

i not have a problem with burmese coming here to feed their families but have a big problem with police taking money from them to do so.

wrong on so many levels.

[smutcakes]

You can bet that money did not stay in KT, and will have fed its way all the way up the food chain to the top in BKK.

This is all common knowledge though and nothing new.

[ukrules]

The solution is simple : Either deport them all immediately and put an end to this rampant corruption or register them legally and remove the corruption from the equation.

[ClutchClark]

i not have a problem with burmese coming here to feed their families but have a big problem with police taking money from them to do so.

wrong on so many levels.

Consider it an alternative to direct taxation on wages and vehicles and property and purchases and....

[MJP]

i not have a problem with burmese coming here to feed their families but have a big problem with police taking money from them to do so.

wrong on so many levels.

Consider it an alternative to direct taxation on wages and vehicles and property and purchases and....

These people don't earn enough to pay tax.

[AGareth2]

traffic police?

[AGareth2]

It sounds like they earn in one month what a typical farang (not a pensioner) spends in a day.

c 400,000 bht?

[ukrules]

It sounds like they're running their own little country on this island and maybe they've been getting away with it for decades. Taoland ?

I wonder how many other islands this kind of thing is happening on ?

Edited October 2, 2014 by ukrules

[bazza5335]

And if this is not what a "MAFIA" is..... what is

[ClutchClark]

i not have a problem with burmese coming here to feed their families but have a big problem with police taking money from them to do so.

wrong on so many levels.

Consider it an alternative to direct taxation on wages and vehicles and property and purchases and....

These people don't earn enough to pay tax.

My point is that if it were not for this type of payment system then a formal taxation system would need to exist. I am not saying that a tax system would be a bad thing but its essentially the same thing.

Public servants do not make a living wage so they take bribes , a large portion of those bribes are then paid up the ladder until it reaches the highest levels of govt. Its like a bottom-up system versus a trickle-down system we are used to where sufficient salaries are paid to public servants through taxes paid by workers (and others).

I am not saying I support this Thai system or that it is the most efficient--I am only pointing out that nothing is for free. Including coming to Thailand to earn wages to send home and not benefit the local economy.

[MJP]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

[chiang mai]

That's a lot of income every month.

[MJP]

That's a lot of income every month.

Same on Koh Samet.

[smutcakes]

i not have a problem with burmese coming here to feed their families but have a big problem with police taking money from them to do so.

wrong on so many levels.

Consider it an alternative to direct taxation on wages and vehicles and property and purchases and....

These people don't earn enough to pay tax.

My point is that if it were not for this type of payment system then a formal taxation system would need to exist. I am not saying that a tax system would be a bad thing but its essentially the same thing.

Public servants do not make a living wage so they take bribes , a large portion of those bribes are then paid up the ladder until it reaches the highest levels of govt. Its like a bottom-up system versus a trickle-down system we are used to where sufficient salaries are paid to public servants through taxes paid by workers (and others).

I am not saying I support this Thai system or that it is the most efficient--I am only pointing out that nothing is for free. Including coming to Thailand to earn wages to send home and not benefit the local economy.

So a police force paid to uphold the law, can now be justified in extortion. If they dont make a living wage why are their big bosses in power not trying to improve their pay and conditions?

Maybe many of the workers would be happy to register, pay tax and regularize themselves in the country, unfortunately Thais are very happy to employ them, but prefer to keep it irregular as it is cheaper labor.

[ClutchClark]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honesty system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

Edited October 2, 2014 by ClutchClark

[Artisi]

About time the new "boss" stepped in and sorted the police / corruption problem once and for all. He started off well sacking / relocating many of the heavies but it's now time to sort out the lower level troops.

[MJP]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

Big firms, foreign firms, their employees and government workers pay it.

No one else seems to bother.

[halloween]

OK, here we have evidence of systematic corruption and extortion of more than 1 million baht per month. If the new government really wants to remove corruption, a good start would be to fire every police officer currently based on the island and then charge them.

Unless of course they can prove that they reported the scam to superiors.

Edited October 2, 2014 by halloween

[chiang mai]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

Less than 4% of the population pay tax via the payroll system.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/110344/income-tax-equality-and-the-thai-budget/

[MJP]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

Less than 4% of the population pay tax via the payroll system.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/110344/income-tax-equality-and-the-thai-budget/

It's just not very popular.

[halloween]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

You think this "graft" is being paid into the tax system, or is even being declared as taxable income?

[chiang mai]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

Less than 4% of the population pay tax via the payroll system.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/110344/income-tax-equality-and-the-thai-budget/

It's just not very popular.

It never caught on with me either.

[MJP]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

You think this "graft" is being paid into the tax system, or is even being declared as taxable income?

Well ultimately it ends up with Mercedes-Benz and they pay tax. So yes.

[jaltsc]

"...2,000 live illegally by paying police Bt500 a month to work there...Those who own or use motorcycles on this tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand, without a rider's licence, pay another Bt500 each month."

It appears that the average illegal worker pays more in bribes, which go into the hands of corrupt officials, than the average Thai worker skips out on paying taxes,. which would go to help the overall economy of the country. There is something very wrong with that, considering that it is estimated that there is going to be a 160 billion baht shortfall on collected taxes for the past fiscal year.

Still a lot of work to be done to end the kind of corruption which will eventually destroy the Thai economy.

Edited October 2, 2014 by jaltsc

[MJP]

There is a formal tax system. There's a personal allowance before which income tax is paid and income tax bands thereafter.

Burmese workers won't earn more than the personal allowance.

Yes, and if you remove this "graft" from the economy then you will have to raise taxes and lower the bar to make up for it.

BTW, what is the participation rate of this existing tax system? Are the taxes collected at an employer level (payroll tax) or is it an honest system where everyone is supposed to just pay up at years end because of a sense of civic responsibility?

Less than 4% of the population pay tax via the payroll system.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/110344/income-tax-equality-and-the-thai-budget/

It's just not very popular.

It never caught on with me either.

It's the forms. I hate forms.

[falangjim]

The solution is simple : Either deport them all immediately and put an end to this rampant corruption or register them legally and remove the corruption from the equation.

The solution may be simple, but executing it impossible. When polled, Thais actually favor corruption if it leads to their own personal gain. Corruption is ingrained into the culture from the highest political figure to the lowliest street cart worker. The people who talk about ending corruption in Thailand are pipe-dreaming. You'd first have to convince your average Thai that corruption is bad, and that is a much tougher task.

[ClutchClark]

2,000 illegals pay 500 Bt/month or 1,000,000 not including those who ride motorbikes.

KT is a very small island.

Add KP and KS and how much is that amount paid monthly?

Tens of millions of Baht?

And this doesn't include the tea money the employers pay and it doesn't include the bribes paid to win the construction contracts.

Now multiply that by every single community in Thailand.

That is a huge amount of money and the Thai economy depends on that money.

If you remove the current method of collection then you will need to accept a new method of collection will be necessary.

Thats just simple economics guys.

[MJP]

2,000 illegals pay 500 Bt/month or 1,000,000 not including those who ride motorbikes.

KT is a very small island.

Add KP and KS and how much is that amount paid monthly?

Tens of millions of Baht?

And this doesn't include the tea money the employers pay and it doesn't include the bribes paid to win the construction contracts.

Now multiply that by every single community in Thailand.

That is a huge amount of money and the Thai economy depends on that money.

If you remove the current method of collection then you will need to accept a new method of collection will be necessary.

Thats just simple economics guys.

That would assume the money is reinvested in the community for the community. Which it isn't.