A total of 382 foreigners were arrested for immigration offences in coordinated raids which targeted 217 locations in Bangkok and other provinces across the country early yesterday morning.
Teams of police carrying out the raids also arrested 121 Thais for other offences, bringing the total number of arrests to 503, said Pol Maj Gen Itthipol Itthisarnronnachai, deputy chief of the Immigration Bureau.
Thirteen foreigners (four from Iran, three from Laos, two from Russia and one each from the US, India, China and Mongolia) were charged with overstaying their visas.
Another 252 (94 from Laos, 86 from Myanmar, 68 from Cambodia, two from Vietnam and one each from India and South Korea) were charged with illegal entry, Pol Maj Gen Itthipol said.
The remaining 238 suspects (121 Thais, 50 from Cambodia, 40 from Myanmar, six each from Laos and Vietnam, three from India, two each from the Philippines, China, Australia and Russia and one each from the United Kingdom, South Korea, Greece and Germany) were charged with other offences.
Officials from several agencies were involved in the latest phase of "Operation X-ray Outlaw Foreigner" -- the Immigration Bureau, the Tourist Police Bureau, the Patrol and Special Operation Division, three police task forces and Huay Kwang police.
"The raids targeted 217 locations that included four language schools, 73 companies and shops, six nightspots, 50 hotels and dormitories and 84 other places,'' according to Pol Maj Gen Itthipol.
To date, a total of 6,971 people have been arrested during raids on 6,469 locations across the country.
