BKK POST: Govt defends right to rep

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

February 17, 1998


                                     



                               EMPLOYMENT

              Govt defends right
              to repatriate aliens

              Foreigners told not to look for work
              here 

              Bhanravee Tansubhapol

              Thailand yesterday defended its right to repatriate illegal
              workers but admitted the need to do so in a humanitarian
              manner.

              Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kobsak Chutikul said there were
              no plans to repatriate illegal foreign workers at present. But he
              appealed to foreigners not to seek work in Thailand during the
              current economic downturn that is expected to deprive some
              two million Thais of jobs.

              The repatriation to Burma last Thursday of some 200 people,
              including 63 Mon, 30 Karens, eight Muslims, and 99 Burmese,
              was "a lesson for the Thai government to exercise more care," he
              said.

              The Thai government in future will emphasise to concerned
              authorities the need to abide by human rights principles, to refrain
              from use of force, and to allow the workers to return to their
              countries on a voluntary basis, he added.

              Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, in a letter to the Labour
              Ministry on January 13, called for the repatriation of illegal
              workers to be conducted in a gentle manner that is acceptable to
              non-governmental organisations, the international community,
              and neighbouring countries, Mr Kobsak noted. 

              Mr Kobsak's comments followed stinging criticism over the
              repatriation of Burmese workers in the state-run New Light of
              Myanmar newspaper in Rangoon over the weekend.

              The criticism may have stemmed from Rangoon not being
              informed in advance of the latest move, either as a result of a
              lapse in high level exchanges between the two countries, or
              because local authorities had not reported to them, Mr Kobsak
              said.

              But the Thai government has always informed the Burmese
              government of any plans to repatriate illegal workers, he added.

              Thai authorities currently are trying to establish the exact
              population of illegal foreign workers in the country, and the
              impact on the Thai construction and fishery industries if all of
              them were to be sent back, he said.

              An estimated 700,000-1,000,000 foreign workers, most of
              whom are Burmese, are believed to be illegally working in
              Thailand. But only about 200,000 of them are registered.

              Mr Kobsak urged Thai employers to refrain from hiring the
              illegal workers, who are attractive because they accept low pay.

              Thailand has never carried out mass repatriations of illegal
              workers, he added.

              The problem of illegal labour is one that Western countries also
              have to contend with. The United States for instance faces a
              constant inflow of illegal workers from neighbouring Mexico and
              sends them back daily but the US is not criticised for it, Mr
              Kobsak pointed out.




                                     




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Last Modified: Tue, Feb 17, 1998