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the nation: Get out by May 1, ille



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