PM sets up new committee to speed migrant worker registrations

[rooster59]

PM sets up new committee to speed migrant worker registrations

By THE NATION

 

File photo: PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha

 

PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha has exercised his special powers under Article 44 of the provisional charter to set up a committee to expedite the registration process for migrant workers.

 

The slowness of the approval process under the Labour Ministry disappointed Prayut and led to the demotion of Varanon Peetiwan, from Director-General of the Department of Employment to deputy permanent secretary of the Labour Ministry.

 

The ministry no longer has full authority to handle the migrant workers following the Prime Minister’s latest order. 

 

The new committee is chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Chatchai Promlert. 

 

Its members include the Director-Generals of the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Affairs, Treaties and Legal Affairs departments, the Royal Thai Police’s Immigration Bureau, the Director of the Electronic Government Agency, the Interior Ministry’s Department of Provincial Administration, the Transportation Ministry’s Marine Department, the Agriculture Ministry’s Fishery Department and the Labour Ministry’s Department of Employment. 

 

Prayut used his power on Wednesday to demote Varanon after it was claimed he had overseen slow progress on the migrant workers register.

 

Controversial scanner

 

The demotion caused repercussions as the Labour Minister, General Sirichai Distakul, and three others in his team made surprise resignations from their posts to show solidarity with Varanon. It was Sirichai who had promoted Varanon to the position of Director-General to handle the cases of millions of migrant workers. 

 

More than two million undocumented migrants from neighbouring Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar currently work in Thailand but as of August the authority had only managed to register fewer then 700,000. 

 

The government will introduce a new migrant worker management law in January which allows for tough punishment against those who hire illegal migrants. 

 

The government wanted to give migrants a legal status to avoid chaos and panic among migrants and employers, but bureaucracy at the Labour Ministry has resulted in a painstakingly slow progress. 

 

To Prayut’s disappointment, the Ministry – and Varanon in particular – dragged their feet over the collection of migrant workers’ bio-data, a source at the labour ministry said. 

 

Collecting bio-data requires expensive retina scanners and huge servers, which will cost several million baht, perhaps even more than a billion, the source said. 

 

Varanon was reportedly reluctant to comply with the idea since there was no formal written instruction to do so, meaning he would have been solely responsible if and when the project was launched.

 

Progress was also slow when the Fishery Department used such technology to collect workers’ bio-data in its own sector. However, its deadline is not until the end of March next year. 

 

The Prime Minister’s latest order to establish the new committee, issued on Thursday, also requires the committee to use the same technology as the Fishery Department, even though the effectiveness of the new system has not yet been proved, the source said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30330766

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-04

[Thailand]

44 Should now be used to set up a committee to oversee the many committees with the next step being - - -!

[darksidedog]

This really should not be as big an issue as it is becoming. I think we all remember the debacle when the new laws were announced and half the country stopped as so many labourers rushed home.  All they need is a sensible and simple registration process. Suggesting adding state of the art technology that is unproven, into the equation is going to cause drama and further slow things down. Given that organising a piss up in a brewery is beyond them, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised at this latest incompetency.

[Cadbury]

A new committee to oversee the monumental stuff-up made by the previous committee. 

This migrant registration policy had all the makings of a total disaster from day one. There was a mass exodus of workers leaving employers deserted and factories empty. The minister and his cronies then suffered the wrath of the PM for the slow process in getting the registrations processed causing him much embarrassment. Those ministers have now disappeared into Thai political history.

I suspect when some backroom nerd created the policy it was accepted on the nod by the minister who would have run it past the PM who would have OK'd it.

Now that it has ended a mess the PM typically distances himself and rushes to blame anyone and everyone and takes no responsibility himself. 

Now he produces his beloved Article 44 to fix the problem. What hope is there for Thailand?

[Oziex1]

A country obsessed with nationalistic pride and a dislike for outsiders has to rely on outside labour to do the work Thais can't do. 

 

Or is it a case of the greedy taking advantage of workers from poor countries at the expense of local labour.

 

Slavemasters from the dark ages.

[Eric Loh]

A poor Workman always blame the tool. Prayut simply has no competency to govern and made worse by his poorly perceived notion that generals made good administrators. Bottom line is that soldiers are better off in the barracks and not meddle in the governance of a country. Hope he will step aside and appoint a civilian PM. 

[Cadbury]

Just now, Eric Loh said:

A poor Workman always blame the tool

But he doesn't work. He simply swans around the country with his sycophants trailing behind and pretending to be a big help to everyone and fixing every problem known to man while giving V for victory signs and kissing frogs.

[colinneil]

Well he has to spend time swanning around the country.

He does that to make it look like he is doing something.

Also it makes it looks like he knows what he is talking about.

At the end of the day he does nothing/ knows nothing, just looks like a plonker.

[retarius]

Ahhhh a new committee. What an innovative solution. How about a large number of sub committees as well, that would be even more effective.

[candide]

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Collecting bio-data requires expensive retina scanners and huge servers, which will cost several million baht, perhaps even more than a billion, the source said. 

 

Varanon was reportedly reluctant to comply with the idea since there was no formal written instruction to do so, meaning he would have been solely responsible if and when the project was launched.

So it would be the reason why Varanon was dismissed.....

Let me guess. Could it be that the supplier of these expensive equipment was "prescribed" and Varanon did not want to cover up?

[Srikcir]

Prayut, please take the next step with Article 44 to handle government mismanagement - replace yourself.

[tryasimight]

8 hours ago, colinneil said:

Well he has to spend time swanning around the country.

He does that to make it look like he is doing something.

Also it makes it looks like he knows what he is talking about.

At the end of the day he does nothing/ knows nothing, just looks like a plonker.

That could be any politician anywhere!