Burmese migrant workers threatened with deportation

Thursday, 07 October 2010 09:45 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – Despite reaching an apparent agreement with management in mid-September, the saga of hundreds of Burmese migrant workers employed at a factor in Khon Kaen Thailand remains problematic.

Over 900 employees at the Dechapanich Fishing Net Factory previously reached an understanding with the factory’s management on a number of labor-related issues on September 14. One stipulation included in the agreement required the employer to return all personal documents of migrant workers in management’s possession.

However, as of October 5 the documents remained unreturned to the workers.

When confronted on the issue by representatives of the migrant workers on Tuesday, the employer responded that all 574 workers previously involved in the negotiations must find a new place of employment by Thursday, October 7. Only then, management informed the workers, will their documents be returned conditioned on receipt of payment of 10,000 baht per employee to the factory.

If the Burmese migrant workers are unable to secure new employment, the Dechapanich Factory has threatened to contact Thai immigration and seek the deportation of all workers involved in the case, even though the migrant workers will not have violated any immigration law.

The factory’s management rejected a petition by the workers for an additional ten days in which to confirm new employment.

(Mizzima will continue to follow details of this story as they develop.)