V/Gov Somkiet said, “Foreigners working illegally must be dealt with according to the law. Three teams have now been set up, one for each district, to check for foreigners who have no work permits.
“Each team will consist of officers from the District Office, the Business Development Office, the Tour Guide Association and Immigration, working together to crack down on work permits and companies with illegal nominee shareholders in the Kathu area.”
Mr Veera Keudsirimonkon, Chief of Kathu District, said, “There are 3,071 foreigners holding work permits in Kathu. We will set short- and long-term plans to deal with foreigners who are working illegally.
“I want to tell every foreigner in Kathu who is working without a work permit that from April 14, we will be checking very seriously. And, we will focus on Russians, Nepalis and Vietnamese.”
Provincial Labour Office Chief Yaowapa Pibulpol told The Phuket News later,“ We have put together a team that will take this very seriously.
“I have the full information about the foreigners who work in Kathu District [legally]. There are 3,071 of them. Of these, the largest numbers are British 303, Russians 221, French 208, Italians 200, Filipinos 185, Australians 157 and Nepalese 28.”
The Muang District Office was due to announce its plans tomorrow.