Thai labor ministry to issue new registration for migrants

Shan Herald

http://www.shanland.org

Monday, 04 May 2009
Hseng Khio Fah

Thai labor ministry will issue a new round of labor registration for another 700, 000 migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia, according to sources from human rights Groups.

Permission would be for less than a year work till 25 February 2010. The registration period will only be a month.

During the period, border checkpoints would be strongly tightened in order to stop outsiders coming to take the opportunity, a member of the right group said.

Although registration dates have not been set up, an agent says it will come soon.
“However, we have not been officially informed yet,” he added.

In the same time, the same applicants are also required to finish submitting the new nationality identification process which started in March. Only those who pass the process of the nationality identification by their country will be allowed to work for another 2 years.

To date, about 500 migrant workers in Chiang Mai have reportedly registered with the process and only about 100 people passed it, according to a worker from Workers Solidarity Association (WSA).

So far there has been no official announcement.

In addition, people holding new registration cards will be banned from changing their bosses, if not their work permit will be expired and they would have to apply it again, said a source.

On 3 May, Bangkok Post also reported that the planning to issue color-coded employment cards for workers from the three countries, Burma, Laos and Cambodia.

Following the new registration, it better regulation of foreign workers and would be guaranteed migrant labors would be stopped from changing jobs repeatedly, Labor minister Paitoon Kaewthong was quoted in the report.

The employment would be for six different sectors which most of Thai workers shunned like fisheries, agriculture, construction, domestic works and animal husbandry said a source.

According to the report, about 500,000 migrant workers have registered with the labor ministry up to now. There are at least 2 million legal and illegal migrant workers in Thailand.