PATTAYA, Thailand – Authorities in Chonburi carried out a raid on a hotel construction site near Jomtien Beach in Pattaya, arresting eight illegal foreign workers after several attempted to flee by climbing walls and hiding around the building.
The operation took place on March 4, when officials from the Chonburi Provincial Employment Office joined forces with the Internal Security Operations Command and the Chonburi Immigration Office to inspect a construction site for an eight-storey hotel project in Soi Jomtien 13.
The inspection followed online reports claiming that the project was allegedly backed by Taiwanese investors and employed large numbers of Chinese and Myanmar nationals without proper work permits.
When officers moved in to search the site, some workers reportedly panicked and tried to escape, with several climbing over a five-metre wall and running into nearby overgrown grass areas. Officials spread out to search the entire building.
Some workers attempted to avoid arrest by hiding in tight spaces, on the rooftop, and even under dining tables wrapped in cloth, but authorities eventually located them all.
In total, officials arrested eight illegal workers, consisting of four Chinese men and four Myanmar nationals (two men and two women).
Authorities also checked 45 additional migrant workers at the site—38 men and seven women—and found that they possessed valid work permits, allowing them to continue working.
All eight illegal workers were taken into custody and handed over to investigators at Pattaya City Police Station for legal proceedings.
During the same operation, officials also inspected a smoothie shop along Chaiyaphruek 2 Road. There they found a Lao woman working outside the scope of her permitted employment, which violates Thailand’s foreign labour regulations.
She was detained and transferred to investigators at Nongprue Police Station to face charges under Thailand’s Foreign Workers Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560 (2017).
Officials from the Chonburi Provincial Employment Office said they are now tracking down the employers connected to both locations in order to pursue legal action.
Authorities reaffirmed that inspections and crackdowns on illegal foreign labour across Chonburi province will continue strictly and regularly as part of ongoing enforcement efforts.
