Vietnamese Illegal Migrants in Thailand

Abstract

The primary objective of this qualitative investigation was to delineate the spectrum of criminal activities perpetrated by Vietnamese migrant laborers within the jurisdiction of Thailand, with the overarching aim of formulating pre-emptive and remedial strategies to mitigate such criminal occurrences. Employing an in-depth interview methodology, two distinct cohorts of key informants were engaged: the first comprised 5 officers from the Immigration Bureau and 5 local patrol officers, while the second consisted of 5 officials from the Ministry of Labour alongside 5 employers or entrepreneurs who engaged Vietnamese migrant labour, totalling 20 key informants. Analysis of the findings unveiled a repertoire of transgressions attributable to Vietnamese migrant workers in Thailand, spanning violations such as unlawful employment in contravention of the Working of Foreigners Act B.E 2551 (2008), involvement in drug trafficking, engagement in prostitution, perpetration of document forgery, and assorted other misdemeanours. Notably, the observed offenses varied in severity, ranging from relatively minor infractions to more egregious breaches of legal statutes.