Thalang –
Twenty-eight Chinese nationals who entered the country with tourist visas were arrested after they were found illegally working at a construction site in Cherng Talay.
The Region 8 Police told the Phuket Express that on Tuesday (December 26th) they and the Phuket Employment Office inspected a construction site at a hotel in Baan Layan. Twenty-eight Chinese nationals which were 27 men and a woman were arrested.
They were found doing construction and interior decoration work. When they saw Thai Law Enforcement officers, they tried to escape but all were arrested. They were taken to the Cherng Talay Police Station to face charges of working without permission.
They told an interpreter that they entered the country with tourist visas. A Chinese man identified only as Mr. Her picked them up at the Phuket International Airport to go to a work camp. They were not forced to do their jobs and they started work at 8:00 A.M. before taking a lunch break at noon and started to work again at 1:30 P.M. until 5:30 P.M..
They received 3,000 baht per day but were told they would only be paid after working for two months. Mr. Her took care of them at the work camp too. The name of the construction site and company were not revealed by the Thai police.
It was unclear if Mr. Her was tracked down or if he would face any legal charges.
Related articles:
Phuket welcomes tourists from China into the Thailand visa exemption program.
