Published: 21/01/2010
via CAAI News Media
Migrant workers from Laos, Burma and Cambodia must apply for nationality verification by the end of next month even though the cabinet has extended the completion deadline by another two years.
The government initially set Feb 28 as the deadline for migrants to complete verification, but the cabinet on Tuesday decided to extend the deadline to Feb 28, 2012.
Deputy director-general of the Employment Department Suphat Kukhun yesterday said migrant workers from Laos, Burma and Cambodia whose work permits were due to expire, mostly this month, must submit applications for nationality verification and temporary work permits by the end of next month. If they fail to do so, they would be regarded as illegal workers.
If caught, they could be arrested and deported. Observers say the nationality verification process by Lao and Cambodian officials has proceeded smoothly.
However, in the case of Burma, the verification process has been slow.
The whole process is expected to be completed within two years.
Mr Suphat said the government would take action against migrant workers who fail to apply for verification from Feb 28 onward.
The first target of the checks would be over 120,000 migrant workers who have registered with the government as migrants but have not yet applied for permits to work in Thailand.
Another group that would soon face examination are those applying for nationality verification but have not gone through the process, Mr Suphat said.
The verification process is a bilateral activity between Thailand and neigh bouring countries, he said.
Human rights activist Somchai Homlaor said non-governmental organisations working on labour and human rights issues were concerned that slow nationality verification, especially by Burma, could result in the verification for some migrants taking more than two years.
Mr Somchai also said authorised private companies offering to process verification for migrants had been demanding that Burmese migrants pay between 7,500 and 15,000 baht each, much more than the governmental agencies charge.
He urged the government to cap the private firms' service charges.
There are about 1.4 million migrant workers from Laos, Cambodia and Burma, Mr Somchai said, but only about 10,000 have gone through the verification process.
About 90% of the 1.4 million migrant workers are from Burma.
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