Thai Government To Deport 500,000 Workers

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LABOUR

Govt to deport 500,000 workers

By Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

Gothom urges authorities to be lenient with the Burmese

BANGKOK: -- Starting from today, relevant authorities are getting ready to deport about half a million Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian workers because they failed to seek new work permits and/or submit requests for nationality verification within the deadline.

Yesterday was the last day for the 1.3 million or so Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian people working in Thailand to hand over requests or applications to the authorities. This is a mandatory step for workers who have already registered in Thailand's labour market in recent years.

"We will not be lenient," Employment Department's deputy director-general Supat Gukun said yesterday referring to workers who missed the deadline.

He added that his department would work closely with the police and the Immigration Bureau in enforcing the law.

"We will have to arrest and deport those alien workers who have not kept in line with prescribed procedures," Supat said, pointing out that under the procedure, registered aliens would be given access to legal protection and welfare.

Moreover, Supat insisted the nationality-verification process was not very complicated.

"For extra convenience, employers can hire one of the 12 certified private companies to handle the task of verifying the nationality of their workers for no more than Bt5,000 per head," he added.

Many employers have sought the service, with the companies earning more than a total of Bt1 billion.

The nationality-verification process has recently been made mandatory, in addition to the long-existing requirement for alien workers to carry a work permit.

The process has two main steps:

Employers fill nationality-verification forms and submit them to the Labour Ministry, which will then forward these documents to the governments of Burma, Laos and Cambodia for verification.

Once the documents are verified, the alien workers can return home to get passports. Thailand has given alien workers until 2012 to get their passports.

Since work permits issued to alien workers expire on March 2, they all had until yesterday to renew their permits.

Meanwhile, Human Rights and Development Foundation chairman Gothom Arya yesterday urged the government to not deport the alien workers who failed to meet the March 2 deadline.

"Some Burmese workers feel their lives are at risk if they have to go back to their country. Political and ethnical conflicts are still going on there," he said.

He also urged the government to extend the deadline for registered alien workers' nationality verification.

Gothom said if Thai authorities refused to extend the deadline, many Burmese workers would simply go underground and live here illegally.

"Some corrupt officials might then exploit these people," he said.

-- The Nation 2010-03-03

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[a99az]

How sad, this is not a very nice way to treat people who only want to do well for there familys.

[Thai at Heart]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

[bjoe97]

poor people- all they want is what most people want

I wish Burma had oil.

what a great lady that is- a shining example.

I went to visit a Burmese Quaker for the HQ back in Europe here in thailand.

He had spent years here in a crowded room.

He was very highly educated and spoke out against something and the government made his life hel_l.Had no contact with any of his family.

I asked him how he felt towards the thai and burmese goverments.

He smiled and said simply " I pray for them.

If ever there was a God he would be looking down with pride upon that man.

[shawndoc]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

[Thai at Heart]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

Somehow I don't think that it will mean higher salaries, more that certain lowly jobs will grudgingly start paying minimum wage. It may even create more demand for the remaining migrants who stay. It will be an interesting exercise in economics to see if many of the jobs simply disappear or that the companies will pay minimum with the requisite social benefits. If a company survives because it pays Burmese wages, I can't see it being able to survive increasing its wages to minimum level.

[Bagwan]

"For extra convenience, employers can hire one of the 12 certified private companies to handle the task of verifying the nationality of their workers for no more than Bt5,000 per head," he added.

Many employers have sought the service, with the companies earning more than a total of Bt1 billion.

I wonder who owns these companies? No prizes fro a correct guess.

[bkklife]

I wonder who owns the 12 certified private companies making 1 billion Baht ?

They'll get deported and then they'll pay people to sneak back across the border again. Its one massive vicious circle with the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.

Very sad indeed !!!

[Hawk]

This is a complete waste of time and money, because the illegal workers just come straight back into Thailand the same day.

They are taken to a border point like Mai Sot, pushed across the border and then these very same people simply walk upstream and cross back into Thailand within one hour while the immigration just stand and watch.

[Donnyboy]

I wish Burma had oil.

do you think the junta would share the wealth if it had oil?

[bkklife]

I wish Burma had oil.

do you think the junta would share the wealth if it had oil?

Burma does have oil offshore.

[Paul123456]

I am no expert on this subject but it may be more complicated than it seems.

I feel saddened for those that are kicked out - particularly for Burmese that may be going back to a dangerous situation - although I also note that many won't be heading back into the dangerous parts of Myanmar.

But - perhaps this move will enable Thailand to have tighter labour laws to look after both domestic and foreign workers. Perhaps it will also help make human trafficking harder to cover up / easier to detect. Perhaps it will also remove a source of corruption and easily exploitable people.

There may be some good to come from this in the longer term - at least that is what I hope the government is trying to achieve.

[kuffki]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

Those workers do all the jobs that Thai's do not to do or too lazy to do and clearly are low paid jobs.

Rest assured Thai's will not get higher salary's and there are as is millions of work opportunity for Thai's which they do not want to do, hence such a large amount of Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian workers

[Colabamumbai]

What street are they going to start on?

[Mosha]

Around here the Thai's know who the illegals are, and warn them when the police are about. They know who does the graft around here.

[basjke]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

Ever wondered why there are so many Cambodian and Burmese workers in Thailand?Go have a talk with any Thai constructor and he will tell you that those people do work that Thai's are too lazy for and even come at a cheaper price.Kick them out and the Thai's will have to work themselves.

[hardy1943]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

Keep on dreaming the Thai Elite will keep that boot right on their neck while laying on the ground with their face in the dirt.

[EmU]

How sad, this is not a very nice way to treat people who only want to do well for there familys.

but it will make them feel powerfull and important

[Changian]

There is a quite simple solution that will allow all the works to remain in Thailand. Their employers simply pay 5,000 baht/person to the mafia government approved nationality verification company.

Everyone's a winner. The workers can stay . The factories all employ legal workers. The govt can claim they help the immigrants and 11 hand picked companies are 5,000 x 500,000 = 2.5 Billion Baht better off.

[brahmburgers]

I wonder who owns the 12 certified private companies making 1 billion Baht ?

They'll get deported and then they'll pay people to sneak back across the border again. Its one massive vicious circle with the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer. Very sad indeed !!!

This is a complete waste of time and money, because the illegal workers just come straight back into Thailand the same day. They are taken to a border point like Mai Sot, pushed across the border and then these very same people simply walk upstream and cross back into Thailand within one hour while the immigration just stand and watch.

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

Those workers do all the jobs that Thai's do not to do or too lazy to do and clearly are low paid jobs. Rest assured Thai's will not get higher salary's and there are as is millions of work opportunity for Thai's which they do not want to do, hence such a large amount of Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian workers

I agree with all above. I know a Burmese immigrant family: grandma, 2 daughters, one baby boy. They're as sweet and decent as any people I've ever met. I've also hired immigrants (under the table) for construction and land clearing. Jobs that Thais turn down, or else the Thai guys show up with designer jeans and spiffy polished shoes and want two to three times the wages that I pay the non-Thais. Incidentally, I pay above minimum wage for anyone who works well, even though I could easily get by with paying a lot less. I also hear stories of Thai (or Chinese descent) bosses who pay pitifully low, and treat their workers like dirt.

[britmaveric]

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

Put on a boat and set adrift most likely...