Thai employers charged over undocumented workers

154 businesses have been charged after sweeping checks involving almost 2,500 employers and 50,000 foreign workers.
By: | August 27, 2018

The Thai government has charged 154 employers with hiring undocumented workers, after arresting and prosecuting 204 businesess.

The arrests and charges follow checks on almost 2,500 employers and 50,000 foreign workers in Thailand. Some 1,162 workers have also been arrested, mostly originating from other Southeast Asian nations such as Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.

Employers who hire undocumented migrants, or allow them to work out of the boundaries of their permits, face fines between 10,000 to 100,000 Thai baht (S$420 to S$4,200) per worker.

Repeat offenders will face even higher fines (between S$2,100 and S$8,400), along with jail time and a prohibition on hiring foreigners.

However, with the country facing a severe shortage of fisheries workers, the labour ministry is looking to accelerate the entry of workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam for the fisheries sector specifically.