Thai Govt To Allow Pregnant Migrant Workers To Give Birth Here

[webfact]

Govt to allow pregnant migrant workers to give birth here

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Illegal female migrant workers who get pregnant while working in Thailand would be allowed to stay and give birth here, under a proposal by the Department of Employment, and their babies could stay legally with their mothers, directorgeneral Prawit Khiangphol said yesterday.

However, he did not say when the change would be put into practice.

The news follows strong criticism of a recent announcement that migrant women will be repatriated to give birth in their countries of origin before returning to work, leaving their children at home. Nongovernment groups said the move would put the lives of hundreds of Burmese women at risk every year if they were forced to return to their homeland while pregnant.

Prawit said the government eventually plans to allow female migrant workers whose nationalities have been verified and who are allowed to work in Thailand to give birth here and receive full maternity assistance under the social security scheme. Children born to such mothers would be certified by the embassies of their parents' home countries and allowed to stay with their parents until they return home at the end of their employment contracts.

Children born to mothers living and working here temporarily because their nationalities have not been verified would be able to enter schools in Thailand and receive public health services, but both parents and children would still need to be verified.

It has been estimated that more than 100,000 illegal migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos living and working in Thailand could benefit from the proposal once it is put into effect.

Foreign labourers working in Thailand under governmenttogovernment contracts after the Asean Economic Community is launched in 2015 will be required to give birth in their countries of origin before coming to Thailand, but no regulations are in place to stop pregnant women coming to Thailand.

Prawit said the proposal and new regulations could help reduce human trafficking and the exploitation of child labour.

-- The Nation 2012-07-24

[Reasonableman]

"under a proposal"... a proposal, hopefully soon to be an avowed policy...

[sirchai]

However, he did not say when the change would be put into practice. Here we go again......

[BirdsandBooze]

The about turn is more about the fear of losing face in the international community than in reducing trafficking and exploitation.

[hgma]

The "legality" of this illegal drama is disgusting.

[sirchai]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

Edited July 24, 2012 by sirchai

[maidu]

Compelled to do something which reeks of common sense. Oh, what travails these Puea Thai posers have to endure.

.....and it takes his personal time away from his, and all other PT leaders' most important imperative - getting Thaksin back with no legal repercussions.

[Reasonableman]

The about turn is more about the fear of losing face in the international community than in reducing trafficking and exploitation.

To be fair, any change to this iniquitous policy is already losing face. Good to see some backbone and commonsense prevail... if it does....

[OzMick]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

"In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born."

Certainly not all countries. Australia is one exception and it is a policy that I endorse wholeheartedly.

It is a law frequently exploited by illegal immigrants - you can't remove us because the baby is a citizen.

[SABloke]

Ummm...Is the photo caption a misprint. Surely illegal workers get deported (Yes, I know...in theory)

[Reasonableman]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

"In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born."

Certainly not all countries. Australia is one exception and it is a policy that I endorse wholeheartedly.

It is a law frequently exploited by illegal immigrants - you can't remove us because the baby is a citizen.

A bit different from an employed foreign worker who falls pregnant, is told to "go back home, give birth there, then return to continue working, sans sprog".

[chrisinth]

I hope not too many of these NGO's get involved with the "illegal" workers, deem them to be traffiked people and "free" them to their countries of origin before they can give birth.

[seadoo]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

"In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born."

Certainly not all countries. Australia is one exception and it is a policy that I endorse wholeheartedly.

It is a law frequently exploited by illegal immigrants - you can't remove us because the baby is a citizen.

My wife and I are both Australian and our daughter was born in Bangkok 6 years ago and 2 days after she was born a Government official attached to Bummungrad came to visit us at the hospital to clearly explain that she did not have Thai Citizenship, then pointed it out on the Birth Certificate and more. We had not even thought about the idea of it and yet they were all over us like in a panic or something.

One more note to all this, our daughter was born premature and at the time Bangkok Pattaya could not look after a premature baby and all the local hospitals including Chonburi who could look after a premature birth refused to assist us, so through the help of the Australian Embassy we had to risk my wife being medicvac to Bangkok to save our daughter.

All the local hospitals just hung up on us or said go away. The one that disgusted us the most was Bangkok Pattaya, even though they knew they could not help us they gave us a letter saying they wanted 1 million baht up front before they would assist us.

On the other hand, if 2 Thais were say in holiday in Australia and they had a baby the baby is given the option of becoming an Australian.

[animatic]

Well at least there is a hint of common sense,

and not knee-jerk jingoistic pandering to the nationalist lunatic fringe.

It is a proposal,

because they announce it, run it up the flag pole and see how it flies.

If enough salute it's good. A good response and it can be come policy.

[OzMick]

My wife and I are both Australian and our daughter was born in Bangkok 6 years ago and 2 days after she was born a Government official attached to Bummungrad came to visit us at the hospital to clearly explain that she did not have Thai Citizenship, then pointed it out on the Birth Certificate and more. We had not even thought about the idea of it and yet they were all over us like in a panic or something.

One more note to all this, our daughter was born premature and at the time Bangkok Pattaya could not look after a premature baby and all the local hospitals including Chonburi who could look after a premature birth refused to assist us, so through the help of the Australian Embassy we had to risk my wife being medicvac to Bangkok to save our daughter.

All the local hospitals just hung up on us or said go away. The one that disgusted us the most was Bangkok Pattaya, even though they knew they could not help us they gave us a letter saying they wanted 1 million baht up front before they would assist us.

On the other hand, if 2 Thais were say in holiday in Australia and they had a baby the baby is given the option of becoming an Australian.

Sorry to hear about your problems, hope all resolved well.

AFAIK any child born in oz is entitled to the same citizenship status as parents, certainly not automatic as in US. Able to apply at a later date???

BTW I wonder what they put on BC for child of illegal immigrants who have destroyed all ID. Do they accept self-serving(?) claims or leave blank until positive determination.

[Thai at Heart]

How wonderfully humane of them.

[chotthee]

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

[Thai at Heart]

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

Are u serious?

Great idea, Thailand is one generation out of everyone marrying their cousins and u want to have eugenics?

Looking at the iq numbers, Thailand could do with anything to spruce up the gene pool.

[Reasonableman]

I read

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-d...ry/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

Are u serious?

Great idea, Thailand is one generation out of everyone marrying their cousins and u want to have eugenics?

Looking at the iq numbers, Thailand could do with anything to spruce up the gene pool.

I read it as dark sarcasm. With this poster it is not always clear. No-one in their right minds would seriously hold such opinions.

[chotthee]

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-d...ry/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

Are u serious?

Great idea, Thailand is one generation out of everyone marrying their cousins and u want to have eugenics?

Looking at the iq numbers, Thailand could do with anything to spruce up the gene pool.

Many rich and powerful clan marrying their cousins so the wealth are not diluted.

Not only in the kingdom of Thailand, but also elsewhere, even in Europe like the United Kingdom, etc.

Edited July 24, 2012 by chotthee

[chotthee]

I read

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-d...ry/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

Are u serious?

Great idea, Thailand is one generation out of everyone marrying their cousins and u want to have eugenics?

Looking at the iq numbers, Thailand could do with anything to spruce up the gene pool.

I read it as dark sarcasm. With this poster it is not always clear. No-one in their right minds would seriously hold such opinions.

The idea was not mine.

It was from Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, one of the world greatest leader and thinker of the modern time.

Was Mr. Lee in his right minds to roll out such policy? It was a policy, not an opinion.

Edited July 24, 2012 by chotthee

[Reasonableman]

Great leaders are sometimes in the eyes of the beholder, apparently.

[Bagwan]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

"In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born."

Certainly not all countries. Australia is one exception and it is a policy that I endorse wholeheartedly.

It is a law frequently exploited by illegal immigrants - you can't remove us because the baby is a citizen.

My wife and I are both Australian and our daughter was born in Bangkok 6 years ago and 2 days after she was born a Government official attached to Bummungrad came to visit us at the hospital to clearly explain that she did not have Thai Citizenship, then pointed it out on the Birth Certificate and more. We had not even thought about the idea of it and yet they were all over us like in a panic or something.

One more note to all this, our daughter was born premature and at the time Bangkok Pattaya could not look after a premature baby and all the local hospitals including Chonburi who could look after a premature birth refused to assist us, so through the help of the Australian Embassy we had to risk my wife being medicvac to Bangkok to save our daughter.

All the local hospitals just hung up on us or said go away. The one that disgusted us the most was Bangkok Pattaya, even though they knew they could not help us they gave us a letter saying they wanted 1 million baht up front before they would assist us.

On the other hand, if 2 Thais were say in holiday in Australia and they had a baby the baby is given the option of becoming an Australian.

I have no difficulty in believing that this is the Gospel truth. A gynaecologist in private practice told me that as a matter of routine the private hospitals in Pattaya transfer cases of complicated births e.g. breech births, to Chonburi Hospital so that no blame can be attached to them if things go wrong and their 'reputations' besmirched.

There are some good knowledgeable doctors employed at BPH who do not toe the line in respect of the company's policy of raking in as much of the folding stuff as they can. All too many do not fall into this category.

[Bagwan]

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-d...ry/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

Are u serious?

Great idea, Thailand is one generation out of everyone marrying their cousins and u want to have eugenics?

Looking at the iq numbers, Thailand could do with anything to spruce up the gene pool.

There is a germ of comon sense to this notion - if you exclude the shaven headed, heavily tattooed sex tourists. Thailand doesn't need any more whose knuckles scrape the ground.

[Thai at Heart]

Why can't they just cross the border have have as many labor as they like over there.

Thailand is poor enough, and if we allow poor population to keep growing, it will only bring down the nation average income /head, or the nation average IQ / head.

Singapore Mr Lee was right.

Cash reward the poor and lowly educated (mostly the non-Chinese) to snip their birth organ.

Tax incentive for the rich and educated (mostly Chinese) to produce more and more children.

http://www.country-d...ry/r-11807.html

By the 1980s, the government had become concerned with the low rate of population growth and with the relative failure of the most highly educated citizens to have children. The failure of female university graduates to marry and bear children, attributed in part to the apparent preference of male university graduates for less highly educated wives, was singled out by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1983 as a serious social problem. In 1984 the government acted to give preferential school admission to children whose mothers were university graduates, while offering grants of S$10,000 (for value of the Singapore dollar--see Glossary) to less educated women who agreed to be sterilized after the birth of their second child. The government also established a Social Development Unit to act as matchmaker for unmarried university graduates. The policies, especially those affecting placement of children in the highly competitive Singapore schools, proved controversial and generally unpopular. In 1985 they were abandoned or modified on the grounds that they had not been effective at increasing the fecundity of educated women.

Are u serious?

Great idea, Thailand is one generation out of everyone marrying their cousins and u want to have eugenics?

Looking at the iq numbers, Thailand could do with anything to spruce up the gene pool.

There is a germ of comon sense to this notion - if you exclude the shaven headed, heavily tattooed sex tourists. Thailand doesn't need any more whose knuckles scrape the ground.

I think opportunity and a better education for all is a better plan than eugenics.

[rotary]

What a big mistake if they make this a law. I got to wonder do these guys have rocks in their heads.

[jerrysteve]

We woud certainly this freedom to have their babies here does not turn into Human Trafficing from unscrupulous

scum bags!

We know that the fishing industry here is involved in the darkest world of human trafficing..and will continue

to be, with the Thai Government looking the other way as they do on scores of issues.

[gark]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

this is simply not true for most countries. yes, in the US, but not in Italy for exmple.

[chotthee]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

this is simply not true for most countries. yes, in the US, but not in Italy for exmple.

To eliminate these nationality problem, all foreign pregnant women should be deported across the border.

[OzMick]

Illegal migrants are allowed to give birth legally. That's just the process of giving birth. Legal- at a hospital? Paid by who?

In other countries born babies automatically receive the nationality where they were born.

I've worked with a Srl Lankan woman, she had three kids, all of them born here, all of them stateless.

She worked at a school., so her visa status was okay at that time. No idea about now.........

this is simply not true for most countries. yes, in the US, but not in Italy for exmple.

To eliminate these nationality problem, all foreign pregnant women should be deported across the border.

D'OH ! That was the original proposal, now rejected as unnecessary because Thai law does not grant citizenship because you are born in Thailand.