Ministry says repatriation plan not (r)

[mandalay@xxxxxxxxxx]

Ministry says repatriation plan not discriminatory

Feb. 17, 1998
The Nation

The Nation/Agence France-Presse

OFFICIALS of the Labour and Social Security Ministry Monday defended
Thailand's repatriation of illegal foreign workers insisting it had not
violated any human rights, while announcing that almost 19,000 Burmese have
now been expelled. 

In response to the Burmese authorities' position, made clear via the
state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, that Bangkok had used double
standards, the Alien Department's Director Pramuan Jitasombat said that
repatriation was based on a legal framework since the workers expelled had
entered the kingdom illegally. 

"The Thai government had previously allowed them a grace period in which to
register themselves with the Labour Ministry's agencies but many were not
interested. Therefore, non-registered alien workers will be the first group
to be affected by the repatriation plan," the director said. 

He added that the plan did not discriminate against Burmese workers, but
targets all nationals who have illegally entered Thailand. 

Thailand's attempt to alleviate the unemployment problem by utilising the
illegal workers' repatriation plan has angered the Burmese authorities who
have been quoted in newspapers as saying that the scheme was rather pitiful
as the Burmese, once more than welcome in Thailand, were now being sent
back home. 

However, Pramuan said, the committee which oversees the repatriation will
meet again on Feb 25 in order to seek clear measures in dealing with
illegal workers. Besides, the D-day for repatriation has not yet been set
because the ministry does not have enough budget in order to build
detention centres in four provinces: Ranong, Kanchanaburi, Tak and Chiang
Rai, he said. 

Meanwhile, Labour and Social Security Ministry Permanent Secretary Phan
Chantrapan Monday reported to the Cabinet that 19,000 illegal foreign
workers had been expelled in the first stage of the country's drive to free
up a million posts for jobless Thai. 

The 19,000, mostly from Burma, were repatriated in the first weeks of a
push to expel 300,000 illegals by the middle of the year, the permanent
secretary said. 

Some 6,000 of the 19,000 posts have already been taken up by Thai as the
country battles its worst-ever economic slump, Phan said. 

The fishery and agriculture sectors, the biggest employers of illegal
workers, will be excluded from the repatriation drive because the departure
of Burmese citizens would gut these industries, Phan said.