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Employers given stern warning - The



January 3, 1998
Bangkok Post
Employers given stern warning
They were told not to shelter illegal aliens

Supamart Kasem
Tak

Factory owners and landlords have been warned here against employing and
providing shelter to illegal alien workers.

About 200 Burmese were arrested in a crackdown on illegal labour last
week.

Col Chatpat Yaemngarmriab, commander of Fourth Infantry Regiment Task
Force, said the illegal workers are living in temporary shelters they had
built around the factories.

The raids were jointly carried out by the immigration and border patrol
police and local administration officials.

A large number of alien workers, mostly Burmese and Cambodians, hold jobs
reserved for Thais by a cabinet resolution. That includes working in
industrial factories.

The commander said the factory owners are obliged to obey the law or face
legal action for providing shelter to illegal aliens.

"This is the last warning for factory owners as we cannot allow these
workers to live or move around freely."

Since October about 6,000 Burmese have been arrested and deported, he
added.

Suchart Visuwan, the provincial industry council chairman, said business
would suffer if police decide to take drastic action against factory
owners.

He said businesses had agreed to give priority to unemployed Thais to
fill up vacant posts.

About 300 factories are in operation in Mae Sot district alone and their
sales volume amounts to 700 million baht per year.

Labour officials said yesterday that the office is obliged to follow the
Labour Ministry's policy but they would see to it that businesses are not
affected by their action.

"We will deal with illegal aliens first because they are difficult to
control," said one of the officials.