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BKK POST: January 19, 1998: Repatri



January 19, 1998
  Repatriation 'won't hurt'

              Only illegal workers to be expelled -
              PM

              Woranuj Maneerungsee and Supamart Kasem in
              Phitsanulok

              The government's plan to repatriate over 300,000 alien workers
              will not affect labour-intensive businesses in Thailand because it
              will target only illegal labour, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said
              yesterday.

              In his speech closing a chambers of commerce seminar at
              Amarin Lagoon Hotel, Mr Chuan noted that only 200,000 alien
              workers had been registered but their real number should be
              much more.

              "We must repatriate illegal alien workers to open chances for
              Thai labourers who have been laid off to find jobs," he said.

              The policy will not hurt legal businesses because the Interior
              Ministry will aim only at illegal aliens. Anyway, the policy would
              not be accomplished overnight so entrepreneurs would have
              enough time to cope with the move, the premier said.

              However, he promised that the government would permit alien
              labour to remain in the businesses not attractive to Thai workers.

              The government was seriously solving labour problems which
              were related to social ones. It would introduce solutions to
              labour problems in both industrial and agricultural sectors and
              each province would have to study their particular problems and
              solutions, Mr Chuan said.

              Meanwhile, Vorapong Pitchpongsa, president of the Rice
              Exporters Association, said that the alien labour repatriation
              would affect rice exporters.

              They were employing over 2,000 aliens to carry rice sacks, a
              job Thai workers do not want, he said.

              He suggested the Labour and Social Welfare Ministry come up
              with plans to cope with the problem before the government starts
              repatriating alien labour.