Exodus of Myanmar migrant workers continues
Exodus of Myanmar migrant workers continues
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Workers from Myanmar take a boat across the Moei River back to Myawaddy town from Mae Sot district in Tak province on Sunday. (Photo by Assawin Pinitwong)
TAK -- As of Sunday morning, 21,828 Myanmar migrant workers have returned home via Mae Sot after an executive decree imposing harsh punishments against recruitment of undocumented alien labourers was issued on June 23, according to a report from the immigration checkpoint to the district administration.
The number was compiled by police at the Mae Sot immigration checkpoint from June 23 to July 2.
On Sunday, Myanmar migrant workers continued to return home.
After the decree went into effect, Thanayos Pankhao, the Mae Sot district chief, assigned tambon and village chiefs, defence volunteers and public health officials to help facilitate the return of the Myanmar workers.
On the other side of the Friendship Bridge across the Moei River, Myanmar officials are on standby to welcome home their fellow countrymen.
Sutha Saiwanich, deputy governor of Tak, made an inspection trip to ensure a smooth exodus.
The executive decree aims to raise recruitment and management standards and reduce accusations by the international community of abuse and human trafficking. It contains harsher punishments on violators, with prison terms and fines ranging from 400,000 to 800,000 baht.
Although Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Section 44 of the previous interim constitution, which has been carried over to the current constitution, would be invoked to delay the enforcement of the decree for 120 days, employers have laid off undocumented workers, leading to the exodus.
Exodus of Myanmar migrant workers continues | Bangkok Post: news
Embassy calls for calm as workers flee Thai factories
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The Cambodian embassy in Bangkok has called on illegal workers not to leave Thailand as officials attempt to negotiate a deal to allow migrants to stay in their jobs.
A crackdown on illegal workers in Thailand has frightened many migrants, with thousands returning home following the announcement of a royal decree on controlling the presence of foreigners in the country last week.
According to a letter signed by Cambodian ambassador to Thailand Long Visalo on Saturday, the Thai government has said the decree will mean heftier fines for employers who use illegal migrant labour.
Mr Visalo said many Cambodian workers are concerned about their jobs, while some have been sent home to arrange legal documents. Others have attempted to get the correct paperwork through the embassy.
However, he said migrants should remain calm and stay put while officials try to clarify details of the decree.
He said some employers and unions in Thailand are unhappy with the new measures and have asked the government to delay its implementation to give them time to prepare, amid warnings that factories are at risk of closing down.
“The Cambodian embassy is calling for Cambodian workers not to rush home. The embassy and the Cambodian Ministry of Labour are working to find a solution with the Thai government,” Mr Visalo said.
Sin Nam Yung, a deputy chief for migrant worker coordination in Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet town, said thousands of Cambodian workers have been repatriated from Thailand since Wednesday.
“Normally about 100 Cambodian workers come home through the border each day. But since Wednesday, that figure has shot up to about one thousand each day, because of the crackdown on foreign workers,” she said.
Ba Raing, 31, a worker who recently came back from Thailand, said many migrants had returned home because they were frightened of being arrested by Thai authorities.
“My employer told me about the Thai government’s new rules. They need legal workers but I was illegal and had no documents. I was really afraid of being arrested so I decided to come home and arrange the legal documents,” he said.
Sum Chankea, ADHOC coordinator in Banteay Meanchey, said most of the workers who had come home wanted to get legal documents to return to Thailand.
“Some came back by their own accord and some were sent by the authorities. This is the second time that large numbers of Cambodian workers have been forced to leave Thailand,” he said.
More than 200,000 Cambodian workers were forced to leave Thailand in June 2014. The deportation of the migrants came weeks after Thailand’s army declared martial law and seized control of the country in a coup the month before.
Banteay Meanchey provincial governor Soun Borvor said local forces must do more to stop migrant workers going to Thailand without the right paperwork.
Embassy calls for calm as workers flee Thai factories | Khmer Times | News Portal Cambodia |
