Migrant arrests ‘risk new panic’

By CHULARAT SAENGPASSA 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

Recent crackdown ‘could do more harm than good’ given new economic realities.
 

A LONG-TIME crackdown on migrant workers taking jobs reserved for Thai nationals was slammed yesterday as being part of the problem, rather than a solution to it, since many of the jobs in question were not wanted by citizens. 

 

There would be chaos and panic in the labour market if authorities continued enforcing the obsolete law, said Adisorn Kerdmongkol, coordinator of a migrant population network.

 

Labour Minister Adul Saengsingkaew ordered a crackdown over the weekend on illegal migrant workers in many provinces, including Samut Sakhon, Phuket and Chon Buri. 

 

Millions of migrant workers in Thailand are prohibited from working in 39 categories in accordance with a 1979 law on forbidden professions for foreigners. Out-of-bounds professions included farming, trading, hairdressing, the legal industry, as well as jobs as tourist guides, craftsmen, engineers and architects. 

 

The crackdown has resulted in the arrest of more than 1,600 migrants, mostly from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, who were working in the retail and service sectors. Many of them run businesses as street vendors and restaurants and could be sentenced to five years in prison, fined Bt2,000 to Bt100,000 or both. 

 

Thailand allows 2 million documented migrants to work as unskilled labour and housemaids but they in fact have been working in all sectors, including small businesses and the service industry. After accumulating long experience, many of them go on to own their own shops and businesses.

 

The government should not rush to launch a new crackdown – if anything, it had been relaxing its enforcement of the law on migrant workers, Adisorn said. 

 

 The enforcement of the new law on migrant workers has been delayed until the end of June since the process of registering migrant workers is so slow. The delay was needed since its tough punishment created panic in the labour market last year and the relaxation was made only for the registration and national verification process, according to the Labour Ministry.

 

According to the new foreign labour law, employers of illegal migrants could face a hefty fine of Bt400,000 to Bt800,000 per migrant worker if found to have violated the law. 

 

Amendment of the new law on migrant worker management was also needed to allow more sectors – notably trading – to hire migrant workers, he said. “If we don’t allow migrants, there might be no workers in food shops in Pratu Nam and Chinatown Yaowarat,” Adisorn said. “That would create a difficulty for the economy.” 

 

 However, the crackdown was welcome in tourism, said Narin Ruengwongsa, chairman of the Tourist Guide Club, which caters to Chinese-speaking tourists.

 

The profession of being a tourist guide is reserved for Thai nationals but currently dominated by foreigners in some areas, said Narin in support of the government’s policy of purging foreigners from the industry. 

 

Many Chinese tourist guides were operating in Thailand, he said, despite it being illegal for them to do so and Thai nationals have sufficient language skills to do the job. 

 

Tour operators hired registered Thai guides to work as “sitting guides” for them to avoid legal action, he said. 

 

“The government should blacklist such tourist guides and ban them from doing business in Thailand for at least five years,” Narin said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30336805

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-22

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Migrant arrests ‘risk new panic’

While in theory it is fine to reserve jobs for Thais (this is Thailand after all, and it is the choice of the Thais whether to do this or not), the scope and implementation of this law has been a disaster.

 

This is a wide-ranging law affecting literally millions of people with a complicated, bureaucratic, expensive and time-consuming registration process. Further, by all reports there have not been enough resources allocated to the process to ensure that it runs both smoothly and in a timely manner. Finally, the penalties for non-compliance are waaaaaaaaaaay out of whack to the rest of the legal code; the draconian penalties will likely be used simply as a means of extortion in corruption cases.

 

This is a screwed up law. Repeal and replace with something that is reasonable. Yes, I know it won't happen, but...

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Many Chinese tourist guides were operating in Thailand, he said, despite it being illegal for them to do so and Thai nationals have sufficient language skills to do the job. 

Does anyone believe that Thai nationals actually have sufficient Chinese language skills?

 

Anyone?

 

Just askin'

 

It also resulted in the arrest and deportation of a German guy working on a construction site for 50bht a day... 

 

Probably the only quality worker that company ever had.

illegal immigrants not 'migrants'

Reality hits; we support our comfortable lifestyle on the backs of low paid migrants - ditch the migrants, ditch the comfortable lifestyle. Never mind, AI's on the way. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Many Chinese tourist guides were operating in Thailand, he said, despite it being illegal for them to do so and Thai nationals have sufficient language skills to do the job. 

Let's face it, all they need is the translation of "The coach is about to crash"

1 hour ago, nausea said:

Reality hits; we support our comfortable lifestyle on the backs of low paid migrants - ditch the migrants, ditch the comfortable lifestyle. Never mind, AI's on the way. 

 

Reality?

 

Your comfortable lifestyle, our comfortable lifestyle, owes everything to the inequalities and low wages that are the norm in Thailand.

 

 

Edited January 22, 20188 yr by Enoon

As a very long term resident, I personally find dealing with Burmese, Filipinos, Cambodians troublesome, while many tourists think these people -who are clueless about service, and never smile- are mistaken for Thai, and leave a poor impression of the country. Should Thailand employ 6 million migrant workers to operate unviable businesses? Any businesses that can't operate without illegal staff should close down. This will rebalance reality in Thailand.

1 hour ago, LazySlipper said:

It also resulted in the arrest and deportation of a German guy working on a construction site for 50bht a day... 

 

Probably the only quality worker that company ever had.

I have a hard time believing the guy only got paid 50 bt. Plus his ability to understand Thai orders and such might not have contributed to quality. 

2 hours ago, robblok said:

I have a hard time believing the guy only got paid 50 bt. Plus his ability to understand Thai orders and such might not have contributed to quality. 

You are right. He must have been a crap worker, hence the 50 bht a day!

 

As for the Thai, I doubt that much thinking goes into the construction work going on here.

 

On the other hand, maybe he was trying to learn Thai and get paid at the same time!

1 minute ago, LazySlipper said:

You are right. He must have been a crap worker, hence the 50 bht a day!

 

As for the Thai, I doubt that much thinking goes into the construction work going on here.

 

On the other hand, maybe he was trying to learn Thai and get paid at the same time!

Im just not sure of what to think i think i could get more money a day begging then 50 bt (never tried). Just find the whole story a bit strange. 

15 minutes ago, robblok said:

Im just not sure of what to think i think i could get more money a day begging then 50 bt (never tried). Just find the whole story a bit strange. 

Hey man, it was reported here on TV. Did you miss the article?

I ain't making anything up...

 

Actually... I reread the thread and can't find where they said he worked for 50 bht a day...

 

Edited January 22, 20188 yr by LazySlipper

I don’t understand allowing 2 million migrants into Thailand to do unskilled labour and housekeeping. Those are jobs Thais are most qualified for and should be protected.

7 minutes ago, LazySlipper said:

Hey man, it was reported here on TV. Did you miss the article?

I ain't making anything up...

 

 

I know it was reported here.. but that does not mean the real facts were reported. Can you imagine anyone working for 50 bt a day ? It costs more to buy food for a single day. I just find the story a bit unbelievable. I did not mean you at all. 

3 hours ago, meinphuket said:

As a very long term resident, I personally find dealing with Burmese, Filipinos, Cambodians troublesome, while many tourists think these people -who are clueless about service, and never smile- are mistaken for Thai, and leave a poor impression of the country. Should Thailand employ 6 million migrant workers to operate unviable businesses? Any businesses that can't operate without illegal staff should close down. This will rebalance reality in Thailand.

  That would create one hell of a stink, where I live the men in the bin wagons collecting trash are allfrom Myanmar

8 hours ago, webfact said:

A LONG-TIME crackdown on migrant workers taking jobs reserved for Thai nationals

Build a wall.............get Mexico to pay for it.....

3 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Reality?

 

Your comfortable lifestyle, our comfortable lifestyle, owes everything to the inequalities and low wages that are the norm in Thailand.

 

 

True to a certain extent, but the cost of living is lower here - so it would be way OTT to pay the same price for 'services' as paid in our home countries.

 

Personally, I applaud the Thai policy of denying cheaper labour to displace Thai labour - whilst knowing it happens anyway .

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

While in theory it is fine to reserve jobs for Thais (this is Thailand after all, and it is the choice of the Thais whether to do this or not), the scope and implementation of this law has been a disaster.

 

This is a wide-ranging law affecting literally millions of people with a complicated, bureaucratic, expensive and time-consuming registration process. Further, by all reports there have not been enough resources allocated to the process to ensure that it runs both smoothly and in a timely manner. Finally, the penalties for non-compliance are waaaaaaaaaaay out of whack to the rest of the legal code; the draconian penalties will likely be used simply as a means of extortion in corruption cases.

 

This is a screwed up law. Repeal and replace with something that is reasonable. Yes, I know it won't happen, but...

 

Does anyone believe that Thai nationals actually have sufficient Chinese language skills?

 

Anyone?

 

Just askin'

 

Step daughter is at Uni, 2nd year out of 4.

Main subject Chinese language. 2nd subject English language. 3rd subject Business studies and tourism sector.

For 18k in July she goes with her class to mainland China for a month, education authority supplements the rest.

Last year, this year and next year the Chinese language courses are full at this university.