More than 5,000 illegal migrant workers have been deported and over 25 million baht worth of fines collected from those who have broken Thailand's visa laws, including those who employed the illegal migrants.
The latest crackdown comes as the government tries to clean up certain industries, like fisheries, and curb human trafficking and indentured, or forced labour.
Those who were deported and fined were screened from 242,376 foreign workers under the latest inspection, jointly carried out by the Labour Ministry and the Immigration Bureau from July 1 last year to Feb 25, Labour Minister Adul Sangsingkeo said Wednesday.
All were charged with illegally entering Thailand and lacking work permits.
The government, which has been targeting illegal migrant workers since 2017, gave them until last year to report to authorities to seek permission to work in the country legally.
The Employment Department estimated that about 1.5 million foreigners, mainly those from neighbouring countries, worked here in breach of the law in 2017.
The ministry said "newcomers" from countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia would only be allowed to work in Thailand under certain conditions, and based on agreements made between their respective governments now the grace period for illegal workers to get properly documented has ended.
Officials are authorised to impose hefty fines on both employers and workers who defy the labour law, as well as deport offenders.
However, lawbreakers continue to pose a challenge.
In the latest joint operation, the authorities collected fines worth over 25 million baht, including those paid by nearly 1,000 employers who broke the law, Pol Gen Adul said.
They also pressed charges against 702 foreign workers who had "snatched" jobs reserved for Thai citizens, he added.
However, the large number of wrongdoers arrested recently suggests that harsh penalties alone are not enough to scare them off.
"All sectors have to join to keep trying to solve migrant labour and human trafficking problems," Pol Gen Adul said.