On April 28, 2022, the Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin reported that he had been coordinated by Mr. Supachai Phosu, the 2nd Vice-President of the Thai House of Representatives, to help Thai workers in Dubai who were tricked by agents inviting them to work in massage parlors. However, the workers were deceived into prostitution. Therefore, he asked for help to coordinate the return to Thailand. In this regard, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan are concerned about Thai workers working abroad. This is because workers are a key force in earning a family’s income and bringing a lot of money into the country each year. Therefore, the Ministry of Labour was instructed to take care of their livelihood and assist in the event of suffering in working abroad.
Mr. Suchart further said that from the investigation, it was found that Ms. Laddawan Sing-Ngoi, 34 years old, who is the granddaughter of Ms. Tassanee Sing-Ngoi, 42 years old, from Nakhon Phanom Province, received information from her grandmother that a recruitment agent tricked her into working in a Thai massage parlor in Dubai from October 12, 2020. However, she was tricked into prostitution, imprisoned, and unable to go anywhere. If she didn’t take jobs, she would be subject to physical assault with e-cigarettes. Two other Thai people went together, including Ms. Sureeporn Phonyam, a resident of Roi Et Province, and Ms. Sasitaphon Wattanasri, a resident of Buriram Province. The employer confiscated all the passport documents and detained them. They cannot go anywhere in Ajman District, and they have no money. The workers are forced to work but are not paid. Additionally, Ms. Tassanee Sing-Ngoi’s visa will expire on April 30, 2022. Ms. Laddawan’s information also stated that Ms. Tassanee had reported her situation to the embassy in Dubai on March 28, 2022, but there has been no progress. Therefore, she requested assistance from relevant agencies to assist with benefits and coordinate with relevant agencies to bring them back to Thailand.
Mr. Suchart spoke about the assistance from the Ministry of Labour. The Labour Department in Abu Dhabi has coordinated with the Consulate General in Dubai to facilitate care for Thai workers. They now know that the Thai workers are staying at the VIP Massage Center. The Labour Department will report the case to the police and use the evidence for a lost passport report, which will be used to apply for an Emergency Passport. They will then buy a ticket for the next trip back to Thailand. They have coordinated the Provincial Labour Office in the area to visit the workers’ homes to inform relatives about the progress of supporting them.
Currently, there are five ways to legally travel to work abroad. This includes the Department of Employment, a recruitment company, employers in Thailand deploying their employees to work abroad, employers in Thailand sending their employees to do internships abroad, and job seekers informing their travels to work abroad by themselves. Therefore, he said he would like to inform job seekers who wish to travel abroad to ensure they work legally and apply as a member of the fund to help job seekers work abroad. Membership will enable them to receive protection benefits in the event of danger, death, disability, or experiencing trouble in a foreign country. Information about traveling to work abroad is available at www.doe.go.th/overseas. Workers can also register online to work abroad at toea.doe.go.th. If there are any issues with applying for a job or traveling to work abroad, complaints can be filed at the Job Seekers Crime Suppression Coordinating Center, the Central Employment Registration and Job Seeker Protection Division, the Department of Employment, or Provincial Employment Offices in every province and the Bangkok Employment Office Areas 1-10. Or for more information, contact the Ministry of Labour’s 1506 hotline, press 2 for the Department of Employment, or call the Department of Employment’s 1694 hotline.
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Division of Public Relations
28 April 2022
