All those pretty faces seen in catalogue and at notorious “models’ nights” could be facing a prison sentence of up to five years after Thai officials vowed to crack down on unlicensed foreign models.
The Labor Ministry has teamed up with the Thai Modelling Industry and Agencies Association to campaign against hiring foreign models without proper work permits.
The illegal models, many from Ukraine, Brazil and Israel, enter Thailand on a tourist visa but then accept modeling gigs without work permits, said Director-general of the Ministry’s Employment Department, Arak Prommanee.
Some models are paid as much as THB50,000 an hour without having to pay tax, he added.
The unlicensed models could face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of THB100,000 over violating Section 51 of the Foreign Workers Employment Act 2008, while the companies that employ them will be liable to a fine of between THB10,000 and THB100,000 per model.
With the industry preferring young faces, many unlicensed models are under 18. Companies that hire underaged, unlicensed models will also face charges of forced labor and child labor, Bangkok Post reported.
Photo: Mark J. Sebastian/ Wikimedia
