On April 20, 2025, Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Labour, visited foreign workers working at the port to guide compliance with relevant laws in managing foreign workers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in accordance with government policy. He also visited agencies’ booths under the Ministry of Labour in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Mr. Phuchong Worasri, assigned to the Office of the Prime Minister and currently serving at the Ministry of Labour, Air Chief Marshal Athikun Kongmee, Advisor to the Minister on Illegal Worker Management, Mr. Phumipat Mueanchan, the Ministry of Labour’s Spokesperson, and Mr. Somchai Morakotsriwan, Director-General of the Department of Employment joined the visit. Mr. Somchai Leelanoi, Governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, gave a welcome speech. Mr. Pichet Thongphan, the Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General, heads of agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, business operators, foreign workers, and local community leaders joined in the welcome at Pa Pla W. Nitphawan, Thasala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.
Mr. Phiphat said that the inspection on the management of foreign workers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province is a government initiative that aims to ensure all foreign workers working in Thailand are legitimately employed and receive protection according to international standards; this is to protect the rights of workers and create confidence for businesses, as well as the country’s reputation on labour management. The Ministry of Labour is the leading agency that manages foreign workers to solve labour shortages. Therefore, it focuses on systematic operations by visiting control centers, reporting incoming and outgoing ships, monitoring the work, and providing advice on the performance of civil servants, as well as talking with employers, employees, and local officials to listen to problems directly, using suggestions to develop practical policies.
Mr. Phiphat continued that today’s inspection of the Port In-Port Out Control Center (PIPO) is one of the missions of the Ministry of Labour to create understanding among fish farm owners so that they treat foreign workers equally to Thai workers, eliminating any potential gaps between employers and foreign workers. In this regard, the Ministry of Labour has worked with several agencies, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Security Department, and the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (MECC), focused on preventing human trafficking in the labour sector, as Thailand is currently in Tier 2, and aims to improve its status.
“I would like to commend fishing operators who have legally hired foreign workers, provided them with proper work permits, supported their entry into the social security system under Section 33, looking after their workers based on human rights principles. This is the approach that the Ministry of Labour wants to see in every area,” said Mr. Phiphat.
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province has a total of 24,762 foreign workers, of which 17,509 are from Myanmar, 5,989 are from Laos, 1,252 are from Cambodia, and 12 are from Vietnam. There are 1,894 foreign workers working in the fishing industry, receiving work permits in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, of which 1,618 are from Myanmar, 226 are from Cambodia, and 50 are from Laos.
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Division of Public Relations
