by Usa Pichai
Monday, 13 July 2009 18:24
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Nationality verification of migrant workers from Burma in three major border checkpoints Kohthong, Myawaddy and Tha Chi Lek will be started soon by Thai and Burmese governments.
Thailand’s Labour Minister Phaitoon Kaewthong said on Saturday that national verification of Burmese migrant workers will start from July 15. This follows a meeting with the Burmese authorities.
Phaitoon and the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Myint visited the Nationality Verification Centre in Ranong Province border with Kahthong of Burma on Friday.
Maung Myint said that Burmese workers in Thailand should not believe the rumour that the Burmese government will arrest or punish their families in Burma.
“Burmese workers who come to work in Thailand want to work honestly. The government will not arrest or punish their families. Some groups, who do not want this system, had spread the rumour,” he said according to a statement from the Thai Labour Ministry.
Burmese authorities can process the national verification for 600 workers in each centre in Kohthong, Myawaddy and Tha Chi Lek, accounting for a total of about 1,800 workers a day, he added.
On Saturday both the ministers also visited Phuket, the tourist town where there are numerous migrant workers. They met and held discussions with 400 employers.
However, the application form is in Burmese. This could create problems for migrants who are illiterate and employers who cannot fill the form in Burmese.
Phaitoon insisted that he would invite Maung Myint to meet employers in Chiang Rai and Samut Sakorn, provinces where there is a huge population of Burmese workers.
“This system is expected to solve the problem of illegal migrants working in the country and bring down use of illegal labour. It will result in security, take care of social and public health problems, in the event of managements of migrant workers being ineffective,” he added.
National verification is an attempt by the Thai government to solve the problem of illegal migrant workers from neighbouring countries like Burma, Laos and Cambodia by bringing them under the management of Thai authorities. The system includes repatriation to their country if they abuse the law.
The first step of this process is nationality verification that would approve their status to legally enter Thailand. The Burmese government will issue temporary passports for them to apply for visa from the Thai government which will allow them to work in Thailand for two years. The visa can be extended for a maximum of two years. The process is to be implemented by the employers who will directly contact Thailand’s Ministry of Labour.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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