Bangkok Post March 1, 1998 RIGHT T

[burma@xxxxxxxxxx]

Bangkok Post March 1, 1998 
RIGHT TO WORK

Mae Sot in dilemma over deportation
Opinion is divided over illegal foreign workers. Some say they provide 
low-cost labour that keeps Thai firms competitive, whereas others argue 
they take jobs from cash-strapped Thai nationals.
SUPAMART KASEM 
SONGPOL KAOPATUMTIP

Like their colleagues in many other border towns, government officials 
and business operators in Mae Sot district of Tak are in a dilemma over 
the presence of illegal workers.

The Labour and Social Welfare Ministry wants to expel them to free up 
jobs for slump-hit Thais. They are backed by security authorities who 
see the influx of migrant workers as a threat to national security. Many 
business operators, however, see the need to maintain foreign workers 
who are tough and "obedient" manual labourers.

The issue drew a lengthy debate at a meeting of public and private 
sector representatives in Mae Sot on February 18.

Voicing her support for the government's plan to deport foreign workers, 
Tak provincial job recruitment official Jirapa Ngarmvivit said 30,000 
Burmese are still illegally employed by at least 200 Thai entrepreneurs 
in the northern province. They work in garment, canned food and souvenir 
factories in several districts, including Mae Sot which borders the 
Burmese town of Myawaddy.

About 25,000 of these workers are not eligible for work permits, she 
said. The rest were granted work permits which have already expired.

Because of the economic crisis, a large number of Thais are now jobless. 
But many businesses are still hiring Burmese workers, both legally and 
illegally, said Miss Jirapa. "It is the government's policy to deport 
these Burmese workers and replace them with Thais."

Tak Federation of Industries president Suchart Wisuwan said most local 
entrepreneurs wanted to hire Thai workers but not many Thais were 
interested in doing the jobs.

When the federation and Tak provincial authorities organised a job 
bazaar in Mae Sot in May last year, only about 500 Thai job-seekers came 
to apply. Of these, only 100 turned up for an interview. Eventually, 
only 50 got the jobs. The rest were not satisfied with the work and 
salaries offered by employers.

"Local entrepreneurs have been trying to recruit Thai workers but it 
seems that no one is interested," he complained.

Mr Suchart urged the Government to postpone the deportation order until 
local entrepreneurs can find enough Thai workers to replace the Burmese. 
Many factories in Tak export their goods worth 500-600 million baht to 
Europe, America and Asia annually.

"If all the Burmese workers are deported now, the factories will be 
forced to shut down," he said.

Miss Jirapa, however, said local entrepreneurs were not keen to accept 
Thai workers because they would have to pay them the minimum daily wage 
of 130 baht. The Burmese are willing to do the same jobs for 50-60 baht 
a day because they cannot find work in their own country, she said.

Her remark was countered by Mr Niyom Waiyaratpanich, a member of Tak 
Chamber of Commerce, who said several Thai entrepreneurs paid their 
Burmese workers more than the legal minimum wage. The Burmese may 
receive low pay when they were first employed, but the wage is increased 
as they become more experienced, he said.

As a gesture of compromise, Tak Governor Phongphayom Wasapooti said 
after the meeting that the government crackdown would now focus on 
unregistered migrant workers "who may cause problems" in the country. 
Migrant workers "who contribute to the economy" would be the last to be 
deported, he added.

At the same time, the Federation of Industries will organise another job 
bazaar in all districts of Tak on March 6. Local entrepreneurs will be 
encouraged to replace Burmese workers with Thais.

Still water runs deep: Long before the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge 
was opened last year, Mae Sot residents and their Burmese counterparts 
in Myawaddy had engaged in trade and other activities for decades. The 
Moei River, the natural border boundary, posed no obstacle to cross-
border contacts.

It was not uncommon for Burmese to cross the river to Mae Sot in search 
of odd jobs after the harvest season. They helped fill back-breaking 
jobs that had long been spurned by more prosperous Thai workers. The 
income helped relieve the hardships of Burmese in Myawaddy and nearby 
towns. This mutual help went almost unnoticed and, in fact, it was 
considered a tradition of sort for people living on both sides of the 
river.

All this changed with Thailand's economic boom in the 1980s, which 
prompted an influx of migrant workers from Burma. They filled a vacuum 
left by 300,000-400,000 Thais who went to work abroad. It was a 
prosperous time for both Thai and Burmese workers. But it caused an 
adverse effect as well.

As the demand for foreign labour grew, the spirit of mutual help 
weakened. Job placement agencies sprouted up in Mae Sot and other border 
towns to recruit Burmese workers for Thai business operators around the 
country.

This was followed by the birth of criminal rackets which smuggled 
migrant workers into the country. Each migrant worker was charged 
between 2,500-5,000 baht for a trip to factories in Bangkok or 
construction sites in the provinces.

Corrupt government officials joined the fray by extorting money from 
illegal workers caught during the trip from the border or on their way 
home after a year or two in Thailand. Many Burmese workers reportedly 
lost all their money in surprise raids by government officials.

The problem gave birth to yet another lucrative business: money transfer 
through commercial banks. Under the deal the broker would collect money 
from the worker at his workplace and transfer it to a bank branch in Mae 
Sot. The worker's friend or relative would then withdraw money from the 
bank. The broker would deduct a fee amounting to 3-5 percent of the 
transferred money.

Homeward-bound: A recent report from the Tak Federation of Industries 
estimated that between 80,000-100,000 illegal Burmese workers have 
returned home through the immigration checkpoint in Mae Sot since the 
end of last year. These workers were laid off by debt-ridden Thai 
employers in Bangkok and other provinces. Before they crossed the 
border, many of the Burmese were hired to do temporary work in farms, 
plantations, households and shops.

Thai authorities are concerned about the presence of these migrant 
workers. Apart from social and security problems, the authorities are 
worried about its impact on the environment and public health.

At a meeting of local officials in Mae Sot in October last year, chaired 
by Naresuan task force commander Maj-Gen Chalor Thongsala, a preliminary 
plan was mapped out to cope with the situation.

While their jobless colleagues were returning home, a large number of 
Burmese sneaked across the border into Thailand. This prompted Thai 
authorities to launch a crackdown on illegal foreign workers in Mae Sot, 
Mae Ramat, Tha Song Yang, Phob Phra and Umphang districts of Tak. A 
total of 3,655 newly arrived migrants were arrested and this prompted 
other Burmese to return home voluntarily.

Yet, about 30,000 are still employed by Thai entrepreneurs in Tak. Their 
fate depends on the power and persuasion of the local Federation of 
Industries and Chamber of Commerce, which recently came up with a 
six-point proposal:

1. Deportation of illegal foreign workers should continue.

2. Foreign workers could be employed in border provinces, provinces that 
rely on fisheries and certain other provinces on a case-by-case basis.

3. Increase the number of jobs allowed for foreign workers from 11 to 
27.

4. Set up more industrial plants in border provinces to absorb foreign 
workers from inner provinces.

5. Joint-venture projects be set up in neighbouring countries to 
encourage foreign workers to return home.

6. A sub-committee be set up to handle employment of foreign workers in 
each province in accordance with local needs.

Time to rethink?: It's natural that illegal foreign workers are 
victimised as Thais are losing jobs due to the economic downturn. But a 
recent opinion poll by the Rajjabhat Institute's Suan Dusit campus 
showed no consensus among Thai companies over the deportation of foreign
 workers.

The survey of 538 employers in the industrial sector and in service 
industries in Bangkok showed that 56 percent supported the deportation. 
Thirty percent of respondents disagreed, saying it would be hard to find 
replacement workers and that the higher cost of employing locals would 
be bad for business.

Some 57 percent of the employers said their main reason for hiring 
aliens in the first place was the fact that they offered a cheap labour 
alternative, while 29 percent said they liked the "obedience" of foreign 
workers.

In January, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said one million 
foreign workers would have to go home as Kuala Lumpur grappled with its 
own economic crisis. But a week later, he assured Indonesian President 
Suharto that he would not worsen Indonesia's economic crisis by sending 
home all its workers in Malaysia.

Labour experts say Thailand may have to rethink its deportation policy 
as well. The issue does not involve only the economy, but bilateral 
relations and mutual friendship between Thais and neighbours.

In the long-term, they say, the Government must adopt a clear-cut policy 
on foreign labour.

Last week, as another batch of Burmese workers arrived in Mae Sot, a 
debate was still going on about the deportation policy. And for many 
returnees, the experience in Thailand was not all rosy.

Soe Win Naing, a 21-year-old worker from Karen State, lost his manual 
job after the Thai employer closed his business in Bangkok.

"He refused to pay my 4,000 baht salary," the young immigrant said 
bitterly. "And I had to fork out 500 baht here for my safe return home." 


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