Thai government wary of migrants joining red shirt protests

Friday, 05 March 2010 19:18 Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - The government of Thailand will increase restrictions on the movement of migrant workers from neighbouring countries, apprehending they may join the ensuing major political demonstration in the country by the red shirts.

Phaitoon Kaewthong Thai Labour Minister said he felt that anti-government groups’ plan to bring migrant workers to join their protests from March 12 to 14 is just a rumour. However, not taking chances, the Ministry has warned employers to keep an eye on their workers and see that they do not move out of the province where they are registered.

“In the event of workers travelling out of their area, the employers have to inform the authorities to provide documents. Besides only Thai citizens have the right to join political demonstrations in Thailand, according to the Thai constitution,” a report in Thailand’s Public Relations Department website quoting him said.

He believed migrant workers would not participate in the demonstrations because vehicles will be checked for weapons and identification cards to prevent untoward incidents.

Labour Ministry statistics reveal that there are about 500,000 workers, who have not registered with the Thai authorities this year of a total 1.3 million last year. The Thai government is toying with the idea of extending the registration period for employers to apply for their workers and continue the national verification process.

Phaitoon said that some employers, who did not understand and missed the nationality verification date, which expired on 2 March 2010 could inform the Department of Employment to apply for a possible new round of registration.

Earlier, Thai authorities announced that about 500,000 migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia, who failed to renew their work permits, will be deported to their respective countries.

Leaders of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD), or the red-shirts, who support former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, plan to assemble at several locations around Bangkok from March 12 to 14 to protest against the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. In order to assemble a million people to take part in the anti-government rally later this month, the red-shirt group is trying to mobilize people across the country.

The protest comes after the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders last week considered several allegations where Shin Corporation, the parent company of Shin Satellite, unduly benefited from the controversial loan to Burma.

The court subsequently ordered the seizure of 46.37 billion baht [1.4 billion USD] of 76.6 billion baht [2.3 billion USD] in frozen assets, ruling that the remaining 30.2 billion baht [0.9 billion USD] would be returned to Thaksin and his family as the sum was acquired before he became Prime Minister in 2001.