Checks are being made for illegal workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos after the expiry on February 28 of the annual deadline for aliens’ work permit renewals.
At a meeting on work permits at the Provincial Hall on Tuesday chaired by Vice-Governor Nivit Aroonrat, Labour Office Chief Noppadol Ployyoodee said that as of March 22, 4,829 employers had applied to his office for permission to employ a total of 101,273 alien workers in their businesses.
He added that about 50,000 Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian workers who registered for Thai work permits last year had applied for passports from their own countries, with the Thai Interior Ministry helping them lodge their applications for national identity through Thai embassies in their countries of birth.
Of those, 29,000 had already received passports along with green work permits, while the remainder had been granted pink temporary work permits.
Mr Noppadol said that according to last year’s registrations of alien workers in the province, 5,562 workers had not yet come forward to renew their work permits by the February deadline.
Vice-Governor Nivit urged the meeting committee “to work wisely with employers to stamp out illegal workers and human trafficking.”
He said people working illegally in Phuket included not only Burmese, Laotians and Cambodians, but also growing numbers of other nationalities, particularly Pakistanis, Indians and Russians.
The meeting was also attended by officials from the Police, the Marine Office, all three districts and the Immigration Police.