Regional News
Thailand’s Labour Ministry Cracks Down on Foreign Models Working without Work Permits
Many of the models were from countries such as Ukraine, Brazil and Israel, some of them are under 18 years of age
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BANGKOK – Thailand’s Labor Ministry’s Employment Department and the Thai Modelling Industry and Agencies Association have joined in campaign against the hiring of foreign models without a work permits.
Director-general of the Employment Department, Arak Prommanee, told the Bangkok Post many male and female models entered Thailand on a tourist visa but obtained work as models for various products without work permits.
Many modelling firms in Thailand liked to hire them, he said, adding that some models were paid as much as 50,000 baht an hour without paying tax.
Many of the models were from countries such as Ukraine, Brazil and Israel, some of them are under 18 years of age.
Firms that hire the foreign models without work-permits risk being charged with using child labor and forced labor, Mr Arak said.
The Employment Department and the Thai Modelling Industry and Agencies Association plan to hold a press conference this month to launch a campaign against modelling firms hiring foreign models without a work permit.
Foreign models working without work-permits stand to be charged with violating Section 51 of the Foreign Workers Employment Act of 2008 and are liable to five years imprisonment or a fine of 2,000 to 100,000 baht, or both.
The firms that employ illegal foreign models are liable to a fine of between 10,000 and 100,000 baht for each model hired.
