Police have arrested 28 Chinese nationals, who entered the country on tourist visas, for illegally working at a Phuket construction site.
The Phuket Express reports that the workers were discovered at a hotel construction site in the Layan area of Chergntalay.
Police say they inspected the site, accompanied by officials from the Phuket Employment Office, on Tuesday, December 26. There they found 28 Chinese nationals, 27 men and one woman, working at the site.
Officers say the workers were engaged in construction and interior decoration. On seeing the officials, they attempted to flee but all were arrested. They have been taken to Cherngtalay Police Station for legal processing.
According to the report, the workers say that after entering Thailand on tourist visas, they were met at Phuket Airport by a man named only as “Mr Her” and then taken to the construction site.
It’s not known if Mr Her will be arrested or face any charges. Police have not named the site in question or the construction company
The workers say they were not forced to work, explaining that they would start at 8 am, get a lunch break at noon, and resume work at 1.30 pm, before finishing at 5.30 pm.
They say they were promised 3,000 baht a day but told they would only receive their wages once they’d been working for 2 months. The workers say Mr Her looked after them while they were at the work camp.
This is the second such arrest in a week, following last week’s arrest of 30 Chinese nationals at another construction site, also in north Phuket.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
