Arrest is… the act of apprehending a person for the alleged commission of an offence or by the action of an authority. (1998 UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment)

Migrant workers around the world face arrest on grounds such as irregular border crossings, use of false documents, leaving their area of residence without authorisation, lack of documents, overstaying, and breaching conditions of stay.

In Thailand, there is a history of criminalisation of migrants, for example, through processes of mass arrests, which have resulted in deaths and serious injury. Government and media portrayals of such instances frequently frame the behaviour of migrants as ‘criminal’. The criminalisation of migrants only serves to create mutual distrust, prevents migrants from integrating into local communities and leads to their social exclusion. All of this takes place despite the significant contributions made by migrants to the development of both origin and destination countries.

Arrests of migrant workers in Thailand can happen at any time of the day or night. Migrant workers constantly run the risk of arrest while at home, in their workplace, during their leisure time or while visiting their places of worship. The randomness, intrusiveness and pervasiveness of arrests means that a migrant’s life is never completely free from fear.