The Bangkok Metropolitan Area covers an area of 7,761.50 km² and has an approximate population of 11,971,000 (as of January 1, 2008) ^[1], with a population density of 1,301.42 per km². Due to the success of the service and tourism industry in Bangkok, the city has gained in popularity not only among provincial Thais from the rural areas but in many countries in the Indochina region as well as many South Asian countries for work. In the past 20-30 years, there has been a large movement of Indians (Sikhs), Pakistanis, Persians, Burmese, Cambodians, Laotians and many others emigrating to Bangkok. The city is now home to nearly 3-4 million illegal foreigners, a third of which are not of Thai descent. There are large numbers of workers who reside outside the metropolitan area and flux into the city for day time jobs in addition. Therefore, with regards to the population, the registered number of approximately 10 is dwarfed by the 15-20 million in the city during the day. However, during New Year's Break, Songkran Break and other long weekends, the capital often seems deserted of many taxi drivers, side street vendors and other unaccounted forms of informal services in which many illegal residents engage in.