NONTHABURI — Live streaming sales is a popular business in Thailand, but migrants or foreigners are not allowed to do it without permission.
Police Colonel Somkiat Sonjai, Superintendent of Nonthaburi Immigration, revealed on September 6 that officials had received a tip about a suspicious gathering of Myanmar workers in a rented house in Nonthaburi Province. They raided the house on Thursday evening and found that the Myanmar group was doing business through live streaming sales.
The house was a two-story townhouse located in a village in Soi Kantana, Bang Muang Subdistrict, Bang Yai District, Nonthaburi Province. Inside, they found numerous packaged clothing items and communication equipment for live streaming sales on TikTok.
Mr. Min, a 25-year-old Myanmar national, identified himself as the tenant, living with his wife, Ms. Nant, also 25, and six other Myanmar nationals. Upon inspection, none had proper immigration documents. They were arrested for illegal entry and working without permits and taken to the Nonthaburi Immigration Office.
Officials seized one iPad, one iPhone 13, and bank passbooks as evidence for prosecuting a business reserved for Thai nationals.
Police Colonel Somkiat Sonjai, Superintendent of Nonthaburi Immigration, stated that after receiving the tip, the investigation team found that the group was live streaming clothing sales through a popular app, generating significant cash flow. The Myanmar couple acted as employers for the other Myanmar workers.
The couple confessed that they had legally entered Thailand for work, with the husband working as a car washer and the wife as a company employee, earning about 15,000 baht per month each. Wanting to increase their income, they bought clothes from the Pratunam area to live stream on TikTok for fellow foreign workers living in Thailand.
The other Myanmar workers were relatives who had recently entered the country illegally and were in the process of obtaining permits. The couple invited them to help with the work, paying 2,000 baht per month. The couple earned about 10,000-15,000 baht per month from live streaming sales, unaware that it was illegal in Thailand.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Phak Srivanich explained that foreign workers are prohibited from live streaming product sales as it’s an occupation reserved for Thai nationals. The Myanmar workers engaging in work outside their permitted jobs is illegal. All were sent to Bang Yai Police Station for legal proceedings.
The couple was charged with harboring illegal immigrants. The others were charged with overstaying their visas, working without permits, and illegal entry. All face prosecution under Thai law.
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