Thais warned of Libya
THE Employment Department has warned people to beware of false promises of jobs in Libya, where civil unrest still rages.
“Because of safety concerns, the Labour Ministry has barred Thais from working there,” the department’s director-general Singhadet Chu-umnart said yesterday.
He issued the warning after receiving a report that six Thais were lured into paying Bt80,000 each to an illicit agent, arriving in Libya on a tourist visa, and not getting a job.
“Our office in Saudi Arabia has reported that these workers are also forced to stay inside narrow rooms and are given limited food as they wait for any employer to turn up,” Singhadet said. “These workers want to return to Thailand but at this point, they can’t leave Libya yet.
“They won’t get their money back either.”
According to Singhadet, it was reported that illicit agents are active in Thailand’s Northeast – recruiting 20 Thai workers for Libya.
“We’re speaking up now in the hope that no more victims believe in such scams,” he said.
He added that people who duped others for money with a promise of overseas jobs are violators of the Recruitment and Job Seekers Protection Act.
“Their crimes are punishable by a jail term of between three and 10 years and/or a fine of between Bt60,000 and Bt200,000,” Singhadet said.
