Ranong home to illegal migrants

Wanchai commented that the private agency survey result, which found Ranong to have 600 Burmese communities - a living quarter with 24 families up was considered a community - and 10 of such communities had 2,000-3,000 people, was quite contrary to reality of Ranong physical aspects and the recent immigrant workers registration's 49,000-worker headcount. To get clarity on this, he had 10 municipalities and 20 Tambon administrative organizations surveyed immigrant workers and their families in their jurisdictions, in order to find measures to control them.

Thepsatri Taskforce head Colonel Promsak Pulsawat said a survey by security officials late last year found at least 50 Burmese immigrant communities silently gathering in Ranong and having cultural and community aspects like in a manner of Chinatown . This raised a concern that they wouldn't only look for work in Thailand but settling permanently on Thai soil, he said urging related agencies to check on and strictly apply laws on cheap rental rooms and shop houses.