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Illegal immigrant workers are taken from the Thai Immigration Bureau’s detention centre in central Bangkok for deportation.
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ILLEGAL WORKERS
A lucrative trade
By Anan Paengnoy
Sunday Nation
Published on July 13, 2008
These foreigners are low paid, but they work hard, and there's good money to be made or saved despite the risks
The Royal Thai Police deports more than 500,000 illegal alien workers from Thailand each year, but the number of such workers has never really decreased because many Burmese, Cambodian and Laotians know how to sneak back in.
In Burma, influential agents have good connections with some policemen and locals.
After taking between Bt5,000 and Bt15,000 from each worker, the agents get them to obtain a temporary border pass to cross into Thailand. Vehicles transporting vegetables or fish are on standby to transport them to their prospective employers.
Checkpoints
Even then they must walk though the forest to avoid certain checkpoints.
Common routes are Mae Sai, Mae Sot and Mae Ramat.
Some walk via Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang districts in Tak before gathering at Tambon Sammuen.
Routes on foot lead through other districts of Tak to nearby Kamphaeng Phet.
Workers from Cambodia usually walk from Banteay Mean-chey to Sa Kaew, where the border is level and they only need to creep under a wire fence. Once they are in Thailand, Thai agents take them to their destinations by bus, van or train.
The agents prefer the train, some of whose officials take bribes to look the other way.
Mode of transport
Workers from Laos cross on foot to meet agents in Tambon Khemarat in Ubon Ratcha-thani. From there, a van or pickup takes them along an unmetalled road to Arun Prasert and on to Bangkok.
Some Laotians take long-tailed boats to landings in Ubon Ratchathani where they will not encounter Thai officialdom. Laotians say they pay the agents only Bt5,000.
XTRA
penalty
>> If convicted of smuggling alien workers, an offender faces up to 10 years in jail and/or a maximum fine of Bt100,000.
>> If convicted of hiring illegal alien workers, an
offender faces a fine ranging between Bt10,000 and Bt100,000 for every alien hired.
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