Phuket restaurant owner faces charges over alleged illegal hiring of foreign worker
Phuket officials have asked Thalang Police to track down a restaurant owner after inspectors found a 19-year-old South Sudanese national allegedly working without a permit at a Thalang restaurant.
Phuket employment officials have handed a case to Thalang Police after finding a foreign worker allegedly working without a valid permit at a restaurant in Robinson Lifestyle Thalang.
Phuket Provincial Employment Officer Pichit Singthongkam said officers were unable to locate the restaurant owner during the inspection on June 17, which followed a complaint about undocumented foreign workers.
“The PPEO has handed over the case to Thalang Police Station to track down and find the owner so that we can press charges for illegally hiring a foreign worker,” Mr Pichit told The Phuket News.
The inspection was carried out by officers from the Phuket Provincial Employment Office’s Foreign Worker Inspection Division at Sushi Paradise restaurant on the second floor of Robinson Lifestyle Thalang.
Officers found Thai employees working alongside four foreign nationals: two Myanmar nationals, one Filipino national and one South Sudanese national.
The South Sudanese worker, identified as Mr Brian, 19, was found to be allegedly working without a valid work permit, according to the PPEO. Officials said he had been employed at the restaurant for about one week and was training other employees when officers arrived.
After identifying themselves, officers inspected the foreign workers’ documents and determined that Mr Brian was working without authorisation under Thai employment law. He was informed of the allegation and of his legal rights before being taken to Thalang Police Station for further legal proceedings.
Under the Royal Ordinance on the Management of Foreign Workers Employment B.E. 2560 (2017), employers found guilty of hiring undocumented foreign workers face fines of between B10,000 and B100,000 for each illegally employed worker.
Repeat offenders face up to one year in prison and/or fines of B50,000 to B200,000 per undocumented employee. Employers convicted of repeat offences are also barred from employing foreign workers for three years.
The Phuket Provincial Employment Office urged employers to ensure foreign staff hold valid work permits and reminded foreign nationals that they must obtain legal authorisation before starting work in Thailand.
