Chinese restaurants at Naka raided for hiring illegal labour
A TASK FORCE COMPRISING OFficials from 15 government agencies inspected six Chinese restaurants in the Naka Market area in Wichit last week, and found three “cases” of laws being broken, including one restaurant operating illegally.
The inspections, on Feb 19, began at 6pm, noted an official report of the raids, which were explained as tagetting “high-risk groups to prevent and solve human trafficking problems and to encourage business operators and foreign workers to be aware of strictly following the laws of Phuket Province”.
The raids were led by Phuket Vice Governor Adul Chuthong, joined by officials from Phuket Immigration, the Phuket Provincial Employment Office, the Phuket Provincial Office of Labor Protection and Welfare, the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO), Phuket Provincial Commerce Office, Phuket Provincial Police, the Phuket Provincial Administration, the Excise Department and the Phuket branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), which serves as the political arm of the Thai military.
The raids were organised as a way of “solving the problem of human trafficking in labour, to prevent exploitation, Illegal work without a work permit or working outside of the remit of a work permit or committing any other wrongdoing”, the official report explained.
“This is because Phuket is the province that is the second most affected by foreign investors investing in tourism-related businesses after Bangkok,” the report said.
“There were complaints about foreign workers doing the wrong type of work and competing for many Thai people’s jobs,” the report added.
The task force found Chinese restaurants in the Naka area in breach of the law, the report noted.
Among the transgressions were operating a restaurant business without a license or without a valid certificate, not having a liquor and tobacco sales license and not having the required permit to hire foreign workers, the report said.
The report did not confirm which restaurants were found in breach of which laws.
The report did confirm that there were “three cases of fines” ‒ again, with no further clarification.
“The offender admitted guilt and agreed to pay a fine at the rate specified by law,” the report said.
The raids, which began at 6pm, followed a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall earlier on Feb 19 held to discuss strategies to respond to growing complaints of foreigners working illegally and “taking jobs away from Thais”.
The Phuket News