BANGKOK — A billboard in Chinese advertising passport sales at the Huai Khwang intersection on Ratchadaphisek Road was investigated and turned into a criminal case when police discovered that the husband of the Chinese woman who coordinated the billboard was wanted in China. Both individuals were blacklisted by the Thai authorities and deported.
On July 25, officers from the Immigration Department and the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s investigation team expanded their investigation into the billboard at Huai Khwang intersection in Bangkok.
Police questioned Ms. Xu Na, a 35-year-old Chinese national and coordinator of the billboard, who said she had been contacted by a Hong Kong company to carry out the task. However, when the police called the phone number on the billboard selling passports, it turned out to be the number of Mr. Qin Lin, a 33-year-old Chinese national and husband of Ms. Xu Na.
Ms. Xu Na admitted that she has been using her husband’s phone to prepare contact with potential customers interested in the advertised passport services, but no customer has contacted her yet.
Further investigation revealed that Mr. Qin Lin was wanted in China for the offense of trafficking in identity cards and was a fugitive wanted by the Chinese authorities. The Immigration Bureau’s investigation team then added his name to the Immigration Bureau’s watch list and applied for approval for his temporary removal from the Kingdom.
Around 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, investigators were informed that Mr. Qin Lin was about to leave the country via Don Muang Airport. He was detained and handed over to the Immigration Division 3, Bureau of Immigration Investigation, and prepared for deportation to China.
Meanwhile, immigration investigators brought Ms. Xu Na to the North Bangkok District Court to charge her with “working without a work permit” The defendant pleaded guilty and the court sentenced her to four months in prison and a fine of 5,000 baht. The prison sentence was suspended for one year. Her name was then placed on a blacklist, which prohibits her from re-entering the Kingdom before she is deported to China.
Apart from the Chinese-language billboard in Huai Khwang, this case prompted local residents in Prachinburi province to post photos of similar Chinese-only advertisements and question their legality, leading to an investigation by the authorities.
The billboard in question, located on Road 304 in Rojana Industrial Park in Prachinburi Province, advertised the recruitment of migrant workers from four nationalities: Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Mr. Pairoj Chotikasathien, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, explained that according to the law, companies wishing to place job advertisements must obtain permission from the Ministry of Labor and apply to the local registrar who will verify the suitability of the advertisement content. Without this approval, it is not permitted to advertise.
“The law does not prescribe the language for the advertisements, but permission must be obtained first. The application must be translated into Thai, especially if it is a foreign language. In this case, using Chinese is risky because of the business implications,” said Pairoj.
Somchai Morakotsriwan, director-general of the Employment Department at the Labor Ministry, said that Labor Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn has ordered an urgent investigation into the billboard problem. The law does not prohibit companies from advertising the recruitment of foreign workers in Thailand.
However, the Ministry of Labor summoned the contracted company for questioning and stressed that in the advertisement, the company’s name, license number and contact phone number must clearly match the information registered with the Ministry of Labor. They also emphasized the importance of using realistic ad content.
The case of Chinese-language billboards has made politicians and government officials more alert due to public criticism that Chinese investors are being allowed to gain influence in Thailand. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has instructed government officials to strictly control and suppress illegal Chinese investments to maintain a balance with the policy of attracting foreign tourists and investors to the country.
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