At 6:30pm last night (June 25) Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat presided over the lineup inspection of the arrested migrants, rounded up by two raiding teams comprising a total of 40 officers from the Phuket offices of Provincial Security Affairs and Labour Protection and Welfare.
Carrying out orders from the Phuket Governor’s Office to combat human trafficking and illegal migrant labour, the first raiding team, led by Vice Gov Chokdee and Anirut Bua-on and Thamarong Chuai-aksorn of Phuket Provincial Security Affairs, roped in 20 Myanmar construction workers.
Officers said the workers were believed to be employed by a construction company contracted by a well-known retail shopping centre on Vichit Songkhram Rd, but The Phuket News has withheld the name of the contractor and retail company since no charges had been filed at the time of press.
However, the migrants were all charged with entering and staying in the kingdom illegally.
A second team, led by Mr Wansurachart Dechoran of the Phuket Security Affairs division and Thanapong Arachara of the Labour Protection and Welfare office, raided a Korean barbeque buffet (moo kata) restaurant, also located on Vichit Songkhram Road, not too far from the retail centre, where they arrested five more Mynamar nationals accused of working in the kitchen.
The team also raided a Chinese shop nearby and arrested a Chinese woman looking after the shop as well as a Chinese "assistant", in addition to a Vietnamese woman found tending to a fruit stall in front of the shop.
All eight aliens were charged with doing forbidden work without permit. The Vietnamese national was also charged with entering and staying in the kingdom illegally.
All 28 migrants were transported to Vichit Police Station for processing.
No official charges or fines have yet been issued to any company or individual for alleged involvement in employing or traffiking said migrants.
Christy Sweet | 27 June 2016 - 12:34:42