The meeting, held at Phuket Provincial Hall, was chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Ronnarong Thipsiri and attended by key labour and employment officials, including Worawan Waritphuttimeth, Phuket Provincial Labour Office Chief, and Phichit Singthongkam, Phuket Provincial Employment Office Chief.
Representatives from the Phuket Provincial Defense Office and other agencies were also present.
A major agenda item of the meeting was reviewing the statistics of foreign workers in Phuket and assessing compliance with the governor’s directives.
Specific concerns raised included reports of Myanmar workers allegedly abusing school children in Kamala, foreign workers gathering to drink and cause disturbances in the Naka area in Wichit, and drug use among migrant labourers.
Additionally, officials discussed cases of Myanmar workers acting as contractors and exclusively hiring workers from their own country.
The meeting agreed on several measures to address these issues, including stricter inspections of workplaces employing foreign workers, fair and rigorous law enforcement, and awareness campaigns through online platforms favoured by labourers.
The meeting also emphasised the importance of inter-agency cooperation in implementing an action plan to mitigate legal violations by foreign workers.
According to official data, a total of 97,569 foreign workers are legally registered with work permits in Phuket. The majority are from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
The highest concentration of these workers is in Muang District (59,240), followed by Kathu District (18,572) and Thalang District (19,757).
Officials at the meeting stressed that ongoing monitoring and enforcement would continue to ensure that foreign workers comply with the law and contribute positively to Phuket’s economy and society.