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the nation: Get out by May 1, ille
- Subject: the nation: Get out by May 1, ille
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 17:12:00
Politics
Get out by May 1, illegal
workers warned
About 800,000 illegal workers, mostly from
Burma, will have to leave the country by
May 1 or face legal action, Labour Minister
Trairong Suwankhiri said yesterday.
He said the government had set aside Bt24
million to build five immigration detention
areas along the Burmese border by the end
of April and illegal workers will have to
report to those centres before being
repatriated.
The money is also expected to cover their
cost of transportation back home.
The minister said employers who harbour
illegals after the May 1 deadline will face a
maximum of five years in jail and/or a fine of
up to Bt50,000.
Illegal workers still in the country after the
deadline will face a maximum three year jail
term and/or a fine of up to Bt60,000.
''The order will be announced on March 15
and will become effective on Labour Day
(May 1),'' Trairong said.
Thailand has more than a million foreign
workers, of whom 280,000 are allowed to
work legally on annual permits. About 80
per cent of the illegal workers are from
Burma and the rest from Cambodia, Laos,
China, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Trairong said he expected the number of
unemployed Thais to reach two million by
the end of the year, up from the current
figure of 1.8 million.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand
Paribatra yesterday proposed that Asean
foreign ministers address the increasing
problem of illegal cross-border workers as
a priority at their next annual meeting in
Vietnam, as it is now a regional problem.
''The problem of foreign illegal workers can
no longer be dealt with bilaterally as they
have spread throughout the region. Asean
members should therefore accord top
priority to the issue the organisation's
Vietnam meeting in July,'' Sukhumbhand
said.
The minister was speaking at a seminar on,
''Cross-border workers from Burma and the
effects on Thailand''
It is estimated that there are over a million
illegal workers in Thailand, the from Burma,
Laos and Cambodia. Only about 300,000
of them have registered under a
programme which allows them to work on a
temporary basis. Those from Burma top the
list.
''Until now, the Burmese government did not
think much about the issue but now they are
ready to cooperate with the Thai
government to find an immediate solution to
the problem,'' he said.
The minister said that the task of sending
illegal workers home would be tough, as
they were numerous and there were still a
few jobs that needed cheap labour from
other countries.
Referring to Asean's controversial policy of
constructive engagement with Burma,
Sukhumbhand said Thailand will not adopt
the US line on Burma and would like to
have greater dealings with Rangoon.
Burma has been condemned by Western
countries as a dictatorship with a poor
record on human rights.
The minister said peace, political and
economic stability in Burma meant peace
in the region and economic and political
development there will help minimise the
number of Burmese seeking jobs abroad.
Deputy Commerce Minister Poethipong
Lamsam will accompany him to Burma next
month to discuss border trade issues, he
said.
BY MARISA CHIMPRABHA
The Nation, Reuters