Gen Udomdet Sitabutra concerns on flow of illegal immigrants

BANGKOK, 3 January 2010 (NNT) – 1st Army Regional Commanders has expressed his growing concern over the flow of illegal immigrants into the country; the issue of drug smuggling has been less severe than in the past, however.

First Army Regional Commander Lt. Gen Udomdet Sitabutra said troops had been instructed to monitor the situation of cross-border narcotic smuggling and were able to make a number of arrests. The situation is not as bad as those in the North and North East regions.

However, the problem of illegal immigrants seems to have become a very significant issue which needs addressing, given a large number of migrants from Cambodia have been making their way into the kingdom. Most of them are oblivious of being arrested as they consider Thailand’s legal punishment lenient. Tougher prison terms may serve as a deterrent to other would-be illegal immigrants, said the commander.

The First Army Regional Commander further noted that the problem of illegal immigrant stemmed from the lack of employment in the neighboring country and the fact that Thai entrepreneurs also preferred hiring illegal workers to hiring Thai labors; as foreign workers demanded much lower wages than Thais.