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AP: Work Permit for Burmese in Thai



Subject: AP: Work Permit for Burmese in Thailand

 Government Legalizes Labor by Illegal Immigrants 
 By JIRAPORN WONGPAITHOON=
 Associated Press Writer=
   BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ The government has decided to allow
illegal immigrants to work legally in half of Thailand's provinces
to control them better, officials said Wednesday.
   The proposal, put forward by the country's National Security
Council, was approved Tuesday by the Cabinet.
   The ruling marks an attempt by Thailand, a wealthy industrial
magnet in Southeast Asia, to come to grips with a tide of migrants
from poorer countries in search of work. They are often blamed for
social and economic problems like crime and begging.
   According to Labor Ministry statistics, more than 700,000
illegal foreign workers live in Thailand. More than 300,000 come
from Burma, impoverished by decades of isolated military rule.
   ``It does not mean we turn on a green light for them to
immigrate into our country,'' said one Labor Ministry official,
speaking on condition of anonymity. ``But this way, we can organize
and control those who have been lurking in our country better.''
   Under the decision, illegal immigrants will be able to work
legally in 39 of Thailand's 76 provinces. Most are in border areas,
particularly next to Burma, and in central industrial regions.
   Employers in the agricultural, industrial, fishery and mineral
sectors are all in need of low-priced labor.
   ``In term of human rights, the employers should pay them the
same amount of money as Thais workers, in which case they need not
hire these illegal foreign workers,'' the official said. ``But they
won't.''
   Thailand has experienced skyrocketing industrialization over the
past decade based on a free-market system and low-cost labor.
   Some demographers worry that growth could fall as Thai workers
come to expect higher wages. Cheaper foreign workers are seen as a
way to keep costs down and growth continuing.
   
261244 Jun GMT