On June 14, 2021, at 09.00 hours, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol presided over the commencement of training for special task force officers to inspect, suppress, arrest and prosecute foreigners working illegally amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that the Covid-19 outbreaks in Thailand had increased daily, especially the second wave of outbreaks caused by migrant workers in the shrimp market in Samut Sakhon Province. When government officials began to clean up and make an arrest, employers feared guilt, therefore leaving their illegal foreign workers in public places or along the roadside, which contributed to the spread of the virus in different areas. For this reason, the government is concerned that if the suppress and arrest methods are used alone, it may encourage migrant workers to flee or employers to leave their illegal foreign workers in more places. To limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the Cabinet passed a resolution on December 29, 2020, to allow foreign workers, including those with employers and those without, to be able to live in Thailand and work in jobs that are not specifically prohibited, amid the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic. Employers must submit a list of foreigners. Foreigners who do not have an employer must report their personal information via the Department of Employment’s online system. Foreign workers eligible for this waiver must have traveled to Thailand before the Cabinet’s resolution on December 29, 2020. The resolution will be done in parallel with the enforcement of the law against those who do not act within the specified period. Therefore, it is the special task forces’ duties to investigate and enforce the law against foreign workers, employers/establishments, and those who benefit from the use of illegal foreign workers, including new illegal migrants and those who do not apply for work permits within the specified period.
The training for the administrative committee and the task force on this occasion as per the project plan to investigate, suppress, arrest and prosecute foreigners working illegally amid the Covid-19 situation before the task force officers go out to perform their duties on June 22, 2021. The training is scheduled for two days, between June 14 and 15, 2021. Trainees will include one group of officers from the administrative committee and five groups of officers from the special task force to investigate, suppress, arrest and prosecute foreigners working illegally. Each of which will work with various agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Immigration Office, the Provincial Police Regions 1, 2, and 4, the Investigation and Legal Affairs Bureau, the Department of Provincial Administration, the Legal Affairs Division, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare and the Department of Employment, for a total of 40 officers.
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Division of Public Relations
14 June 2021
