PATTAYA, THAILAND – Police and immigration officers carried out a targeted raid at a major Jomtien market, detaining four migrant workers for alleged immigration offences.
Coordinated raid at Ratnakorn Market
The operation took place on 6 January 2026 at Ratnakorn Market on Thepprasit Road, a busy shopping venue used by locals and tourists with more than 1,000 stalls. Officers from Pattaya Police, Immigration Police and Tourist Police focused on eight fruit stalls where foreign workers and their documents were checked.
Senior officers lead checks
The raid was led by Pol. Col. Wasurat Chaithiraphat, deputy commander of Chonburi Provincial Police, together with Pol. Col. Anek Sratongyu, chief of Pattaya City Police Station, and Pol. Lt. Col. Arut Saphanon, deputy chief of investigations at the same station. Officers verified the identity and immigration documents of workers, concentrating on residence status and valid work permits.
25 migrants screened, four arrested
In total, the teams encountered 25 foreign workers from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma), including 17 men and 8 women. According to police, 21 had visas and valid work permits, while four were arrested for alleged breaches of immigration law.
Visa overstay and illegal entry alleged
Police said the detainees included two people with overstayed visas, a Laotian man and a Cambodian woman, and two men from Cambodia and Laos accused of illegal entry. The four were expected to face criminal proceedings first, followed by possible deportation, according to the authorities.
Part of wider security strategy
Pol. Col. Wasurat Chaithiraphat linked the operation to a broader security plan.
“This is part of an ongoing effort to cordon off and search specific locations,”
said Wasurat, deputy commander of Chonburi Provincial Police.
He said the action followed national police policy on foreign labor. Directives from the Royal Thai Police had been relayed via Regional Police Bureau 2 to local units to step up measures against unregistered workers.
“We will continue these raids consistently to ensure that foreign workers comply with the law. This helps prevent possible crimes by outsiders that could affect the safety of residents and tourists,”
said Chaithiraphat.
Ongoing checks in tourist city
In Pattaya, a tourism-driven coastal city, many migrants had long worked in trade and services, and police said similar inspections had already been carried out several times in recent years. Authorities stated that the operations aimed both to regulate the labor market and to strengthen public safety, and further checks in heavily frequented areas of the city were considered likely.
Debate over control and vulnerability
Commentary around the operation highlighted the tension between protecting systems and the precarious reality of people living at the edge of legality. It raised questions over whether such raids were lasting solutions or snapshots of a larger structural issue, and how Thailand should address illegal work in a way that was tougher, smarter or more humane.