DoE intercepts 139 Thais attempting to work overseas illegally

[webfact]

DoE intercepts 139 Thais attempting to work overseas illegally

BANGKOK, 15 May 2015 (NNT) - The Department of Employment (DoE) has intercepted 139 Thais at Suvarnabhumi International Airport that had been attempting to work overseas illegally.

DoE Director-General Sumet Mahosot said more than 8,000 Thai workers left the country for job opportunities overseas in April, most of which were in Asia.

Nearly 3,000 traveled to Taiwan, an estimated 1,000 to South Korea and 510 to Japan. The second most popular continent for migrant work was Europe, followed by North America, Africa, Australia, Pacific Islands and South America.

89 suspects intercepted by the authorities were attempting to travel to South Korea. The rest of the suspected illegal workers had flights to Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Japan and Russia.

Most of them had apparently been misled regarding the legality of their employment or the nature of their income.

Mr. Sumet reiterated that those who wish to lawfully gain employment overseas must follow labor procedures for their own protection.


-- NNT 2015-05-15

[DLang]

I hope the agents give them a full refund on the sizeable downpayment already paid.

[quandow]

I don't get it - Thai's need permission from their government to work in other countries?

[Thai at Heart]

Thais need permission to leave their own country? Huh?

How is the DoE supposed to marshall whether these people are entitled to work in a country?

[alocacoc]

I don't get it - Thai's need permission from their government to work in other countries?

Would you let your 12 Years old kid travel alone? The most Thais don't have a higher mental age.

[tonbridgebrit]

So, Thais are trying to get out of Thailand to work overseas, eight thousand in April alone.

At the same time, foreigners are trying to get into Thailand, to live and work in Thailand. How about the countries who recieve Thai workers (and let's face it, those countries are recieving Thai workers because the Thais are cheap labour, cheap labour doing the jobs that local workers would demand far higher wages to do), how about those countries recieve the mega-cheap workers trying to get into Thailand ??

[Pormax]

I have a Thai brother-in-law who earlier this month went to work in Taiwan. This was through an agent. Many promises of 'he would make good money;.

He has been on the phone to his wife telling her not that much work and pay nowhere near what he was promised.

I tried to warn him and only last year, after research on the internet, stopped him paying 50,000B in a scam that was offering non-excistent jobs in 5 star hotel in London for a minimum wage of 45,000B a month.

This was for unskilled labour and someone who could speak no English!!!

The trouble with him and many Thais is that they don't think and will not listen.

[gandalf12]

I don't get it - Thai's need permission from their government to work in other countries?

It is a result of past experience of being very poorly treated amongst other things

[Srikcir]

I thought there was almost no unemployment in Thailand. Why would Thais need to leave Thailand for work?

[NongKhaiKid]

I have a Thai brother-in-law who earlier this month went to work in Taiwan. This was through an agent. Many promises of 'he would make good money;.

He has been on the phone to his wife telling her not that much work and pay nowhere near what he was promised.

I tried to warn him and only last year, after research on the internet, stopped him paying 50,000B in a scam that was offering non-excistent jobs in 5 star hotel in London for a minimum wage of 45,000B a month.

This was for unskilled labour and someone who could speak no English!!!

The trouble with him and many Thais is that they don't think and will not listen.

You are so right but the lure of supposed big money trumps everything and they don't want to think something is too good to be true.

A relative of my landlady borrowed money to invest in a small bar despite being warned not to do so, including by me but it wasn't what she wanted to hear as she had Baht signs in her eyes. The bar failed in no time flat and she spent a couple of years in Bkk hiding from the loan sharks she had borrowed from.

[BSJ]

My wife was lucky with 3 years in South Korea and 2 x 2 years in Taiwan. Got the work through her Aunty Na and didn't get ripped off.

The BIL's BIL went to Europe and the money wasn't as expected, weather was bad so not enough hours....and now his wife is needing money from the BIL and SIL.

Should have gone to Australia!

[Toknarok]

The Thai authorities can and do prevent their citizens from leaving the Country if they believe that they, the departees, are likely to be exploited upon their arrival in the foreign country.

Some years ago a farang friend of mine in Australia had married a Thai lady. They decided that it would be nice to get his Thai wifes younger sister to Australia to visit them and have a holiday. The necessary visa was obtained for entry into Australia and a return ticket purchased from Bangkok to Perth. My friend and his wife waited at Perth airport but when the plane arrived the sister was not on board.

It transpired that the sister (who was aged about 18 at the time) when she presented herself at the Immigration departure the Officer there did not believe her story about travelling on her own to see her sister, and he believed that she might be travelling to Aussie for immoral puroposes. He flatly refused to let her board the aircraft.

After much running around and phone calls the matter was sorted, but this shows that Thai Immigration may refuse exit to their citizens if they are suspicious.

[dddave]

There was major media coverage last year about a group of Thais in one of the Scandinavian countries who were not paid for berry picking they had done. Another story was about the terrible living conditions imposed on some Thai workers in Isreal.

Governments are mandated by the UN to take measures to protect their overseas workers and most countries do require some kind of exit permit. The most important thing is to regulate the overseas employment agencies that recruit them and make outlandish promises, them milk them with paybacks and fee's.

In Isan, it's no secret that most of these agencies are controlled by local politicians.