“They steal from us workplaces!” – Phuket entrepreneurs turned to the local authorities with such a “collision” with the Russians, primarily the relocators. The problem should be officially reported to the government – and then law enforcement agencies will join the case, which will allow the locals to track down illegal immigrants and hand them over to the police. This information was presented to the Phuket Information Centre, which was the first to raise the alarm, accusing primarily Russian relocators of illegal work, i.e. Russians who fled to Thailand from partial mobilization.
The specialists of the center officially stated that Russian “long-term” tourists are engaged in business in Phuket, and most often illegal. Thais were urged to report facts about the illegal work of Russians – and the appeal received a flurry of comments. First of all, Russian illegal immigrants work in the car rental business – drivers, rental services, transfer services to and from the airport. “I saw how Russians worked as drivers on excursions in Phuket. They also offered an airport pick up service and car rental”, “I saw a lot of Russian taxi drivers picking up customers from my restaurant” are typical Thai complaints. They also found Russian “singers and musicians” in the bars. But there are also those who “penetrate” into a more serious business, for example, into construction.
However, everyone is outraged. “Do they have a work permit?! They are stealing jobs from Thais!” – calls out the indignant public. And apparently, her calls will not go unanswered. “Together with the Phuket tourist police, we will solve this problem,” the specialists of the center assured. They also said that in the near future they plan to report the problem to the Government Complaints Center at the Prime Minister's Office.
A funny detail: earlier, the well-known “Chinese mafia”, with which on the island fought in the pre-Covid years. In particular, we are talking about a conflict over Chinese restaurants and hotels on Yaowarat Street, which belonged to Chinese citizens and, accordingly, did not bring anything to Thailand and Phuket. And I must say, they were more or less successfully fought: entrepreneurs were detained, interrogated about permits and business rights. As a result, this even led to the arrest of some owners and employees of Chinese restaurants. So much less organized Russian relocators are in danger.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Doctors told how to deal with the consequences of long covid with proper nutrition.”