Thousands of foreigners have been illegally working in Thailand for years, whereas majority of these illegal foreign workers are from Cambodia, Myanmar, India and Nepal. Indian nationals are not required Thai visa for entering the country. During the past several years, thousands of Indian nationals, mostly from Bihar have been landing in Thailand and running various types of commercial activities. Most of them are involved in illegal activities such as pimping, prostitution, selling drugs, selling counterfeit items etcetera.
According to our own investigation, an Indian national named Panna Lal Yadav (mobile number 086-620-8615) is the ring leader of these criminals who are seen roaming around the Bangkok city with a motorbike (registration number 1141). Panna Lal is involved in dealing into drugs, money laundering, illegal banking activities and maintaining a gang of at least 100 men from India.
The members of this crime racket are seen everywhere within the Sukhumvit area, in particular, trying to lure tourists with counterfeit Rolex, Omega, Rado, Seiko, Tag, Armani etc., brand wristwatches. These counterfeit watches are made in India and smuggled into Thailand by Panna Lal Yadav. The racket members sell these watches as real and extract huge amounts of cash by fooling the tourist. Some of the members of Panna Lal’s racket also are involved in snatching cash from the tourists.
Although the immigration bureau is perceived as the main agency for catching foreigners snatching Thai jobs, the Department of Employment (DoE) has its own teams of investigators. Their October 2022-March 2023 report says 685 employment venues were prosecuted and a total of 1,550 people prosecuted, the majority being economic migrants from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos who had entered Thailand without registration. Indians and Vietnamese also figured prominently in the cases.
Panna Lal Yadav gives loans to female workers at various massage shops against a monthly interest of five percent. Every month he is transacting at least 1-2 million Thai Baht into these illegal banking activities although this Indian national does not have any trade license in Thailand.
Seeking anonymity, a source told this correspondent that those Indian nationals on their arrival in Thailand manage getting their visas extended for a period ranging between 1-5 years through a racket, which also is run by another Indian national.
Massive crackdown on illegal foreign workers in Thailand
The number of Europeans, Americans and Australians arrested during this period by DoE officers was very small and around 20 individuals. This may have been because the inspection appears to have been principally aimed at illegal working in selling goods, hairdressing, driving vehicles and massage. These are activities popular with Asian economic migrants. However, the report does not include arrests by immigration police during the six months period.
Phairoj Chotikasatien, director general of DoE, said foreign workers were subject to changes in the regulations in 2017 which listed the 40 employment skills strictly reserved to Thais and mandated fines and deportation for foreign defaulters. Fines for businesses which offer employment without authorized permits vary from 10,000 baht to 200,000 baht per worker. The director general pointed out that the inspections were nationwide and included Bangkok, Phuket, Samui, Chiang Mai and Pattaya.
Work permit regulations were relaxed somewhat in 2017 by royal decree. Businessmen no longer need a permit to attend meetings, to participate in sports or to arrange exhibitions as long as they are not “regular”. High tech specialists qualify for the 4-year Smart visa which does not require a separate work permit. In October 2022, the Board of Investment introduced a 10-year visa which includes a digital work permit as part of the deal.
A Chonburi immigration spokesperson said most Europeans working without authorization were involved in teaching or running bars, restaurants and sports venues. Other areas of concern at seaside resorts were foreign taxi drivers and tour guides. She said that immigration staff worked with other agencies, including the Ministry of Labor, but conducted independent investigations as well.
The immigration bureau is also responsible for tracking overstay foreigners, those who do not report their local address and alien groups involved in illegal activities such as “boiler rooms” or call centers designed to cheat savers of their bank account cash.
Notorious fraudster in Thailand
While Thailand’s laws are very strict about financial activities and about any sort of crimes, a self-proclaimed immigrant has been running fraudulent activities in the country for years, thus deceiving large number of individuals, especially foreigners.
According to information, an individual named MD Rabiul Alam alias Rabiul Islam has been luring prospective investors with the false pretention of being a real-estate tycoon. He runs several virtual companies including one named ‘Retirement Home Public Company Limited’, which claims to have its head office at Suan Phueng, and branch offices at Huahin and Sukhumvit 13, Bangkok, Thailand. Its phone numbers are +66-99-1362777, +66-652-179222 while it has a website named Alisha Real Estate Thailand. Although the website claims to be offering “investment” opportunity in six high-sounding projects, in reality, these are totally fake. Although the website states the “investment” opportunity is open until February 2, 2021, the information still remains on it.
The website of Retirement Home Public Company Limited claims to having account with Siam Commercial Bank PLC (account number 9193004462).
The so-called Alisha Real Estate claims to have been registered in 2009 under registration number -115552005944 with its office at 199 Moo 9, Sukhumvit Road 107, Soi Bearing, T. Samrong-Nua, A. Muang Samutprakan, Samutprakan 10270, Bangkok, Thailand.
On another page of the website, the fraud racket claims to have its office at 399 Moo 1, Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi 70180, Thailand.
In 2021, BLiTZ published an exclusive report exposing notorious activities of MD Rabiul Alam alias Rabiul Islam.
