The multi-agency inspection was carried out at about 11:30am by a task force led by Phuket Vice Governor Pol Lt Col Khetarat Chansilp, together with Rear Admiral Praphan Srisuwipha, Deputy Director of the Phuket branch of Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), and Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Col Phasakorn Sonthikul.
Officials from the Phuket Provincial Employment Office, Provincial Administration, ISOC, Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office, Immigration Office and Provincial Police joined the operation.
Authorities found 22 foreign workers at the site – 19 Chinese nationals and three Myanmar nationals – who were unable to produce work permits or identification documents. They were taken to the Phuket Provincial Volunteer Defence Corps headquarters for identity verification and legal proceedings.
Vice Governor Khetarat said the arrests reflected a recurring pattern seen during recent inspections, particularly involving Chinese nationals employed in construction and supervisory roles.
He said investigations would extend beyond labour offences to examine the ownership structures, shareholders and funding sources of companies involved to determine whether they were operating through illegal nominee arrangements.
The investigation will follow the ‘Phuket Model’, which targets not only illegal workers but also the organisers and ultimate beneficiaries of unlawful business activities, he said.
"Phuket has no place for illegal activities," he said, adding that legitimate investors complying with Thai law had nothing to fear.
Rear Admiral Praphan said authorities were now carrying out daily inspections of foreign workers and businesses suspected of using nominee structures, with investigators examining financial transactions and links between those involved.
Col Phasakorn said police would conduct detailed interviews with those detained to establish how they entered Thailand, who recruited them and whether they had been brought into the country illegally.
Howvere, neither Col Phasakorn nor Vice Governor Khetarat named the construction site raided or the illegal workers employer.
BIG TALK
Labour Minister Chulaphan Amornvivat through an announcement yesterday said regulating Thailand’s foreign labour system remained a key government priority, balancing the labour needs of businesses with the protection of workers’ rights while ensuring foreign employees entered the country legally.
He said the Department of Employment had been instructed to conduct rigorous and continuous inspections while taking firm action against illegal workers and employers who violate labour laws.
Department of Employment Director-General Somchai Morakotsriwan said provincial employment offices had been directed to work closely with security agencies to carry out proactive inspections and suppress illegal employment.
He highlighted a series of recent enforcement operations in Phuket.
On June 17, employment officials arrested a South Sudanese man working without a permit at a restaurant at the Robinson LIfestyle Thalang shopping mall.
The following day, ISOC officers inspected a condo construction project in Cherng Talay, where the Department of Employment reported arresting 68 foreign workers for labour law violations. The group comprised 56 Myanmar nationals accused of working without permits while also residing in Thailand illegally, and 12 Chinese nationals allegedly working without work permits.
All were handed over to Cherng Talay Police, while investigators were asked to consider legal action against the employers responsible for hiring them.
The Department of Employment also joined the Royal Thai Police and other agencies last Saturday (June 20) in a province-wide operation targeting foreign business offences and suspected nominee networks, Director-General Somchai said.