Crackdown to curb ‘job-stealing’ foreigners
published : 22 Mar 2024 at 08:27
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Mongkol Bangprapa
Chinese and Indians are among the foreigners taking jobs reserved for Thais, according to the Department of Employment.
The department had launched random inspections of workplaces across the country after receiving complaints about jobs being taken illegally by foreigners.
From Oct 1 to March 18, a total of 25,628 workplaces were inspected, with 820 facing legal action for allowing violations of the labour law.
The workplaces inspected employed a total of 306,577 foreign nationals. The figure included 232,106 from Myanmar, 42,698 from Cambodia, 18,001 from Laos and 236 from Vietnam.
A total of 1,689 workers faced legal action, with 721 found to be doing jobs that are off-limits to foreigners.
Of the violators, 316 were from Myanmar, 175 from Cambodia, 106 from Laos, 65 from India, 42 from Vietnam and five from China.
Among the restricted jobs being done by non-Thais were street hawkers, barbers, public transport drivers, and traditional masseuses and masseurs.
Some of the foreign workers were hired in non-restricted jobs but failed to comply with rules, the department said, citing such positions as store salespersons and construction workers.
Meanwhile, a Move Forward Party MP for Phuket wants officials to inspect shady businesses in the island province after receiving complaints about them.
Some illegal businesses were found to be operated by foreign nationals on long-stay visitor visas, the MP said, notably real estate firms, that are suspected of using Thai nominees.
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Vocabulary
- complaint: when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory - การบ่น, ข้อที่ไม่พอใจ
- comply (verb): to obey a rule, law, agreement, etc. or do what someone asks you to do - ปฏิบัติตาม (กฎหมาย, ข้อเสนอ, ข้อตกลง etc.)
- crackdown: strong action that someone in authority takes to stop a particular activity - การใช้กำลังเข้าปราบปรามของเจ้าหน้าที่
- curb: to control or limit something - จำกัดขอบเขต, ควบคุม
- hawker: someone who sells goods informally in public places - คนหาบเร่,คนเร่ขายของ
- inspection: an official process of checking that things are in the correct condition or that people are doing what they should - การตรวจสอบตรวจตรา
- legal action: the process of going to court to have something decided officially by law -
- masseuse: a woman whose job is to give people massages - หมอนวดที่เป็นหญิง
- nominee: a legal arrangement whereby investments are held by a a person or company on behalf of the real owner - ผู้รับถือหุ้นให้บุคคลอื่นที่ไม่ต้องการจะเปิดเผยตัวตน
- random: happening, done or chosen by chance rather than according to a plan - ซึ่งไม่มีแบบแผน
- real estate: property - อสังหาริมทรัพย์
- reserve: kept for use for something or someone - ที่จัดสรรไว้ สำรอง
- restricted: intended only for people who have been given special permission - ที่จำกัด
- shady: seeming to be dishonest or illegal - น่าสงสัย, ไม่น่าเชื่อ, เคลือบแคลง
- violation: an action that is goes against a law, agreement, principle, etc. - การกระทำผิดกฎหมาย
- violators (noun): people who go against or refuse to obey a law, an agreement, etc. - ผู้ฝ่าฝืน, ผู้ละเมิดกฎ