Thai official says dept looking into US concerns on migrant workers

[webfact]

Official says dept looking into US concerns on migrant workers
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- In response to US concerns over reports of employers seizing migrant workers' passports and employment agents charging exorbitant fees from Thai workers placed in jobs overseas, Labour Protection and Welfare Department chief Arthit Issamo yesterday said complaints of employees' passports being held would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Arthit said some bosses kept labourers' passports for safekeeping while the workers were at sea fishing, or gathered the passports to proceed with worker registration. However, those who withheld workers' passports for unsound reasons would be warned and, if they repeated such action, would be punished under the relevant laws, he said. Taking money out of workers' pay to settle middlemen's commissions was a violation of the Labour Protection Act 1998, he added.

He said the agency had also worked with police to arrest employers who engage in human trafficking.

Department of Employment chief Prawit Kiangpol said employment agents could only charge Thai workers for job placement overseas up to a maximum of two months' salary plus real expenses, for which they had to show receipts. If the agents overcharged, their licence would be suspended and, if the offence were repeated, their licence would be revoked. Overcharging itself, however, isn't a crime, but if the agents failed to send workers abroad that would be fraud, punishable under the criminal code and the labour law, he said.

Meanwhile, Sa Kaew police yesterday rounded up 23 undocumented Cambodian workers who were on the way to Rayong in a pick-up truck, along with two human-trafficking suspects, in Wattana Nakhon district. The Cambodians told police they paid Bt2,500 each to the gang. Police also arrested five Cambodian workers and their three motorcycle-taxi drivers as they crossed the border into Sa Kaew's Khok Sung district. The workers allegedly paid Bt200 per person to be brought in to the country.

Sa Kaew police reported that in the five days up to and including the latest arrests, police had been involved in seven labourer-trafficking cases, in which eight Thai trafficking suspects and three Cambodian accomplices were arrested, seven pick-up trucks and three motorcycles seized, and 148 undocumented Cambodian workers rounded up.


-- The Nation 2013-08-08

[LuckyLew]

"He said the agency had also worked with police to arrest employers who engage in human trafficking."

Working with the police ... lol ....

Police will work between games of hi-lo or their other money collecting activities.

"eight Thai trafficking suspects and three Cambodian accomplices were arrested, seven pick-up trucks and three motorcycles seized, and 148 undocumented Cambodian workers rounded up."

Talk about tip of the tip of the iceberg

[NongKhaiKid]

Looking Yes, Doing No. Mind you the US isn't exactly world leaders in this field only world leaders in telling everybody else what to do

[arthurboy]

When the recent US report on human trafficking clearly stated that 'In addition to the well known corruption of local-level police officers, there were also protective relationships between central-level specialist police officers and the trafficking hot-spot regions to which they were assigned', then I really don't see that 'looking into US concerns on migrant workers' is going to make any difference whatsoever.

Note the phrase above, 'central-level specialist police officers and the trafficking hot-spot regions'. Are these very same people, assigned to police and prevent human trafficking, actually trafficking people on behalf of the local phu yai's and other players in this disgusting 'business'?

Of course they are.

But, at least, it's good to see that this news is in the public eye. We live, as usual, in hope

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf

Edited August 8, 2013 by arthurboy

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been deleted along with a reply. The thread is about Thailand. An unsubstantiated, off-topic remark about US illegal workers and human trafficking is not germane to this thread.

Please stay on topic.