Crackdown to be launched against illegal migrant workers on Koh Tao

[oldsailor35]

No doubt the British Ambassador will congratulate whoever is responsible, on their "exemplary" work on this subject.

[khunsiam]

These guys have nothing. Hang their greedy bastards employers who are not willing to pay regular low wages and treat these guys as slaves.

Indeed, in Samui there are Burmese run restaurants that pay their (Burmese) staff 6000 baht a month.

[bongoz]

Officials: KOH TAO harbors thousands of illegal migrant workers

SURAT THANI, 4 Oct 2014, (NNT) - Surat Thani Provincial Army Commander Major Gen. Theenachat Jinda-ngen has said Koh Tao is home to over 3,000 illegal migrant workers.

The revelation came on the heels of the recent arrests of 3 Myanmar workers ,who confessed to having been involved in the murder of 2 British tourists earlier last month.

According to the Maj. Gen., officials have discovered that the island has over 7,000 migrant workers, only 4,000 of whom have registered with the authorities. He pointed out that the 3 suspects were from the pool of the 3,000 illegal workforce.

The Provincial Army Commander said that it would be difficult to track down these illegal workers if they committed a crime.

Meanwhile, the provincial labor office has said it would roll out mobile registration service units to the area in order to facilitate foreign labor registration, encouraging and enabling them to work in the kingdom legally.

-- NNT 2014-10-04

"The Provincial Army Commander said that it would be difficult to track down these illegal workers if they committed a crime."

No it wouldn't - any scapegoat will do...

[Lupatria]

The last one shut down the lights because they will hardly find hardworking Thais working 14 hours a day for peanuts and be treated like third class human beings. Who will keep your tourism industry working on the island now?

[ColdSingha]

These guys have nothing. Hang their greedy bastards employers who are not willing to pay regular low wages and treat these guys as slaves.

Indeed, in Samui there are Burmese run restaurants that pay their (Burmese) staff 6000 baht a month.

same all over the south

[ParadiseLost]

Why cant Thais do the work , here in Pattaya we do have immigrant workers but the majority are working Thais, unlike islands like Koh Tao.

I am sure some poor villagers from Isaan would love to work on the island.

They know who is in charge, and what the police are really here for?

[Carrerakiss]

The issue is that police are supposed to be paid 500 baht per month per illegal worker. During the murder investigation they discovered that there were more illegal workers than they were being paid for. The scammers were being scammed, so to speak. Hence the crackdown.

But no matter, it's a revolving door. Out will go the unreported illegals and in will come more who will be properly paid for each month.

So rest easy service standards won't drop.

[DennisF]

So basically: in one month you can't have decent service anymore because all the workers are gone ??

They better start to train the locals again on how to work ....... might take some time

Where in the hell they are going to find 4 to 7000 Thais that can work ? All they can do is swipe with a finger over a smart phone ....

I doubt that after the murders on the island they will not be needing many workers, I hope.

[RigPig]

Why cant Thais do the work , here in Pattaya we do have immigrant workers but the majority are working Thais, unlike islands like Koh Tao.

I am sure some poor villagers from Isaan would love to work on the island.

Apart from the fact that Thai's are (generally) lazy, you can't rape, steal and exploit them as easily. Plus you would have to actually pay a wage that is semi livable....

[Dogmatix]

If illegal Burmese, Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese workers are a risk to tourist safety and have to be removed from Koh Tao why leave them in the rest of the country?

What about the penalties for their employers and police who turned a blind eye?

[Neilly]

Why cant Thais do the work , here in Pattaya we do have immigrant workers but the majority are working Thais, unlike islands like Koh Tao.

I am sure some poor villagers from Isaan would love to work on the island.

Apart from the fact that Thai's are (generally) lazy, you can't rape, steal and exploit them as easily. Plus you would have to actually pay a wage that is semi liveable....

Harsh...but fair

[BradWilkins]

Wow 7000, its a wonder they all fit on such a small island. maybe it should become part of burma

[larsjohnsson]

There are also a lot of illegal farang workers

That situation has already been dealt with in a legitimate way via visa restrictions.

It's a work permit you need to work legal.

Ans what visa restrictions have we today ? That have stopped all the people without WP ?

People were using the facility to bounce in and out of the country indefinitely on tourist visas and working. You can't keep continually renewing your tourist visa now and therefore if you want to work you can only stay on a working visa.

There doesn't exist any visa called working visa, that allow you to work in Thailand. You need WP.

And many different kind of visas allow you to work if you have a WP.

And you can apply for many TV after each other. You don't renew the visa.

It's the people with multiple visa exemptions they like to stop. Not the people that have a visa.

[cup-O-coffee]

Yeah! Sure! Like the five mafia family and the sixth mafia clan in Brown don't know what's going on right in their own back yard.

It's as ludicrous as watching a child tell that he did not steal from the cookie jar, and there the jar is in his hand and crumbs and melting chocolate on his hands and face.

To continue in this manner to divert blame and avoid responsibility for the deaths of two kids....

Pathetically disgusting, revolting and vile, ...their psychology and how convinced they are that we are truly that gullible and that stupid.

[Jonmarleesco]

These being the illegal workers who reportedly help to keep up the standard of living of Koh Tao's finest?

[TheOggMonster]

How about a Crackdown on Employers who illegally employ illegal workers?

The Burmese work force should go on strike. Then watch the economy collapse!

[ParadiseLost]

How about a Crackdown on Employers who illegally employ illegal workers?

The Burmese work force should go on strike. Then watch the economy collapse!

There go most of the farang operated business too... Most of the places I see today have Myanmar waiters, servers, cooks...

If I wanted to open a legitimate business here, I don't think it is possible to get four Thai staff to actually work in say, a restaurant, or small resort, or a bar.

Time for the WP requirements to be changed to allow migrant workers as staff?