PM Prayut orders review of migrant workers law

[webfact]

PM orders review of migrant workers law
By WASAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION

 

 

DECREE WILL NOT BE FULLY ENFORCED UNTIL END OF THE YEAR AS PRESSURE MOUNTS ON GOVERNMENT

 

BANGKOK: -- MILLIONS of illegal migrants and their employers have been given a six-month reprieve as the government has bowed to pressure and postponed full enforcement of the tougher foreign-labour law until the end of this year.

 

Over the next four months, the Labour Ministry will also review the newly-introduced Executive Decree on Foreign Workers Management to make it easier to register and hire migrant workers. 

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday invoked his special powers as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief, under Article 44, to suspend four key articles of the decree that prescribe much harsher penalties against offending migrants and their employers. “We have sympathy for the affected and thus we will prepare measures to minimise impacts,” Prayut said yesterday.

 

The decree took effect from June 23, threatening to fine employers at least Bt400,000 per illegal worker they hire. Workers, meanwhile, risk facing both a jail term and a hefty fine. 

 

The introduction of the new law caused an uproar from various sides. 

 

Several entrepreneurs have said that they will have to close their small businesses, at least temporarily, because the tough law will force them to terminate the employment of current workers and they will end up facing a labour shortage. 

 

People who will lose their jobs have complained that they come to Thailand to work, not to commit crimes, and there is no good reason to force them into such a predicament. 

 

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam told a press conference that the enforcement of the Executive Decree’s Articles 101, 102, 119 and 122, which prescribe the harsh penalties, would be suspended for six months. 

 

“These four articles will instead take effect from January 1 next year. Until then, officers cannot cite the articles to fine or prosecute anyone,” he said. 

 

‘Enough time for workers’

 

According to Wissanu, the six-month grace period should give enough time for workers to register themselves legally, for private companies to adjust themselves properly, and for authorities to think twice about the law.

 

The Labour Ministry would take the first four months to work on it before forwarding the amended law to the government, which would then take another two months to deliberate it, he said.

 

It remains unclear which parts of the law will be amended, but Government Spokesperson Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that an “equilibrium point” should be made between labour facilitation and effective law enforcement.

 

Prayut said the ordinance was introduced to tackle human trafficking, a move necessary to ensure that Thailand will not face economic sanctions from the international community.

 

During a Facebook Live interview with the Nation Multimedia Group’s digital journalist Suthichai Yoon, the Labour Ministry’s permanent secretary Puntrik Smiti said yesterday that Thailand would need to comply with international laws and the country must stop using illegal labour. 

 

She pointed out that if Thai employers continued hiring illegal workers, they might find it impossible to export their products. 

“That’s why we need to adjust. We need to look into the future,” Puntrik said. 

 

Thailand has been on the Tier 2 Watch List of the Trafficking in Persons report, which is compiled by the United States, for two consecutive years now. According to the reports, Thailand has not yet fully complied with the minimum standards on fighting human trafficking. 

 

Puntrik estimated that there were about three million migrant workers in Thailand, half of whom are illegal workers. 

 

But estimates by various other organisations suggest that the actual number of illegal workers in Thailand is much higher. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30319908

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-05

[leeneeds]

Another fine mess you've gotten us into Hardy!

[NCC1701A]

 

[tracker1]

News ! Foot in Mouth infection still alive and well in Thailand, worlds number one in Olympic style backflips !

[Siripon]

Just now, tracker1 said:

News ! Foot in Mouth infection still alive and well in Thailand, worlds number one in Olympic style backflips !

Experts on U-turns too.

[colinneil]

Come on lads, lay off the smoked salmon and caviar for a while.

We have dropped a giant b+++=ck this time, come up with something quick, or we will lose face big time.

[clockman]

They could not run a p---s up in a brewery!

[manhood]

Well thai style of governing a country at it's ver best! well on a long run they might find out: think first, than act!

[williamgeorgeallen]

bit like the no riding in the back of a pick up rule.

[yellowboat]

3 hours ago, tracker1 said:

News ! Foot in Mouth infection still alive and well in Thailand, worlds number one in Olympic style backflips !

The iron fist meets soft brains.  The junta was not careful and now have caused the country damage.    

[hawker9000]

Fire, ready, aim.

[Yann55]

This is a textbook case of absurd populism vs lawless capitalism, and guess who wins ?

 

Xenophobia is top of the list in the Book of Populist Policies.

 

Our dear leader is trying hard to make the people love him and the one thing he does have in common with his Dubai nemesis is a seemingly irrepressible urge to accuse foreigners for whatever goes wrong in this country. That doesn't make either of them exceptional, of course, it's pretty much in the air all over the planet.

 

So anyway ... his brilliant entourage comes up with this brilliant idea of kicking out all the migrant workers who are not legal, thinking "our fellow Thais, including the red(dish) ones, are gonna love us for this" ...

 

But then .... ooops ! they realize that illegal migrant workers are actually an essential piece in hardcore capitalism (ie the kind that is practised here and pretty much everywhere nowadays, with more or less hypocrisy thrown over it), which means that the removal of this essential piece will hurt not only several  thousands of illegal workers (who cares ? they're illegal, and illegal = bad, right ?) but a handful of very rich people as well.

 

Now, that  won't do. These very  rich people are very  legal, so why should they be made to suffer ?

 

 

Edited July 5, 2017 by Yann55

[angsta]

44 minutes ago, Yann55 said:

This is a textbook case of absurd populism vs lawless capitalism, and guess who wins ?

 

Xenophobia is top of the list in the Book of Populist Policies.

 

Our dear leader is trying hard to make the people love him and the one thing he does have in common with his Dubai nemesis is a seemingly irrepressible urge to accuse foreigners for whatever goes wrong in this country. That doesn't make either of them exceptional, of course, it's pretty much in the air all over the planet.

 

So anyway ... his brilliant entourage comes up with this brilliant idea of kicking out all the migrant workers who are not legal, thinking "our fellow Thais, including the red(dish) ones, are gonna love us for this" ...

 

But then .... ooops ! they realize that illegal migrant workers are actually an essential piece in hardcore capitalism (ie the kind that is practised here and pretty much everywhere nowadays, with more or less hypocrisy thrown over it), which means that the removal of this essential piece will hurt not only several  thousands of illegal workers (who cares ? they're illegal, and illegal = bad, right ?) but a handful of very rich people as well.

 

Now, that  won't do. These very  rich people are very  legal, so why should they be made to suffer ?

 

 

Exactly!

 

Well put. 

[natway09]

Is there nobody left in command who has the ability to think first ???

[Nowisee]

The "procedure" pretty much renders it slow, complicated...er, flawed.  It's a total setup and the Burmese workers see that.  Get out of Dodge, can't blame them.  Oh my my my LOS what have you done?

[johng]

Didn't they make this same "mistake" a couple of years ago
hundreds of thousands fled before the U turn.

[Dave67]

National council for piss and dis-order

[greenchair]

I can't imagine many foreign workers will have a hundred thousand baht. 

Which prison were they going to put the 3 million illegal workers? 

???