[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

June 1, 1998 Businesses protest h



June 1, 1998


                                     



                                  LABOUR

              Businesses protest
              huge crackdown
              on aliens

              Metropolitan police assist in
              deportations

              Anjira Assavanonda

              The new joint metropolitan-immigration police crackdown on
              over 200,000 illegal immigrants in Bangkok which starts today
              has forced many to prepare to go home.

              The campaign, which runs until June 21, will also leave many
              businesses with a lack of staff. 

              Officials will focus on construction sites and factories on the
              outskirts of Bangkok. Any workers caught will be handed over
              to the Office of Immigration Bureau and deported. Most of them
              are expected to be Burmese.

              The move supports the Labour and Social Welfare Ministry's
              policy to push back illegal alien workers, which began on May 1.

              Adisorn Kerdmongkol, of the Thai Action Committee for
              Democracy in Burma, said most of the Burmese workers had
              prepared to return home, while some were despairing as they
              had not enough money to pay for their trip.

              He believed that about 200,000 alien workers in Bangkok were
              mostly based on construction sites in the outskirts, such as at Lat
              Krabang and Ta Phra. Some employers were still hiring illegal
              workers and were not allowing them off the sites.

              Mr Adisorn slammed the policy for opening a door for
              employers to take advantage of alien workers. Many were not
              paid, and could do little about it because employers threatened
              to inform the police.

              "Some of them are so scared and dare not talk with Thai
              people," said Mr Adisorn.

              Once these workers were arrested and sent to border provinces,
              they could always find their way back with the assistance of
              agents. Some had connections with authorities, such as the
              immigration police.

              The Labour and Social Welfare Ministry's crackdown is meant
              to increase job opportunities for Thais hit by the economic
              downturn. 

              According to a cabinet resolution, only 13 border provinces and
              22 other provinces with fishery industries are allowed to hire
              alien workers to alleviate labour shortage problems. 

              If everything goes as planned, by the end of 1999, one million
              alien workers will have been forced to leave since the Labour
              and Social Welfare Ministry will not renew work permits for
              registered workers. By six months from May Day 300,000
              illegal alien workers should have been repatriated. A total of
              150,000 jobless Thais are expected to fill the vacant posts.

              According to the Immigration Bureau report, from January to
              May 1998, about 209,600 alien workers have been returned. Of
              these 176,170 were Burmese, 2,027 Laotians, 26,836
              Cambodians, and 4,567 from other countries.

              However, the move has caused concern that it may end up
              hurting the country's business sector even more. 

              By late last month, 1,761 business enterprises had called on the
              ministry to ease regulations on employing immigrant workers as
              they were still needed to handle jobs shunned by Thais.

              These enterprises wanted the ministry to allow the hiring of about
              90,000 immigrants in 18 types of low-paid jobs, including farm
              work, fishing and related industries, water transport, industrial
              sewing, rice milling, cold storage, ice making, salt farming and
              general labour.

              Some employers, particularly the rice millers and rubber traders,
              complained that they could not find Thai workers to fill the
              vacancies. 

              Representative of the Association of Thai Natural Rubber
              Farmers said there were complaints earlier from planters in
              southern provinces that the ministry's move would badly hit their
              businesses. Most planters had hired Burmese to work in their
              plantations.

              Bamrung Kitphakorn, vice chairman of the Rice Mills
              Associations, claimed rice mill operations needed alien workers,
              usually hired to carry rice sacks. He said there were now about
              20,000 jobs that had not been filled.

              If the operators could not find enough Thai labourers to replace
              repatriated alien workers, they might have to halt operations. He
              added that rice mills in the north and upper central regions were
              the main source of rice exports, which accounted for 80 percent
              of production nationwide.

              After talking with the ministry's officials, it was agreed that the
              deadline for the repatriation of immigrants working in the rice
              mills be extended, for a second time, for another 30 days.

              "Working in the rice mills needs much patience. Working hours
              are uncertain and sometimes we can do nothing but wait until the
              rain stops. But when the rice is dry and it comes to the time for
              milling, workers have to work hard, and can't even stop to rest. 

              "Thai workers are not patient enough for this kind of job. Some
              stayed with us for 3-5 days and then left," he said.

              Mr Bamrung said it would be fine if the government could find at
              least 20,000 out of the more than two million jobless Thais to
              replace the alien workers within the month.

              He asked the government to give them another two years to
              adjust to the change. Within two years, well-operated mills
              would replace the manpower with machines, while small mills
              would improve working conditions and Thais would be attracted
              to the job.

              Meanwhile, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Trairong
              Suwannakhiri reaffirmed his policy despite the difficulties of
              finding Thai workers. He said employers could inform the
              authorities about how many workers they wanted and at what
              wage, and the ministry would help find Thai workers. 

              Bundit Thanachaisetvuth, a labour expert from Arom
              Pongpa-ngun Foundation, however, sees the policy as
              nonsensical.

              Commenting on the new crackdown policy announced by the
              Metropolitan Police Bureau, Mr Bundit said he did not believe
              the measure would be seriously enforced. He added that it was
              perhaps the first time the bureau chief had expressed support for
              the Labour Ministry's policy.

              Mr Bundit also pointed out that the Thai authorities are too
              critical of alien workers. They were regarded as criminals or
              separatists who wanted to destroy the country, rather than
              victims of the economic downturn.

              "When our economy was booming, we needed foreign labour
              and opened the door for them. But when the economy went
              down, which was not their fault, these workers were seen as
              criminals who caused unemployment among Thais," he said.




                                     




© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 1998
Contact the Bangkok Post
Web Comments: Webmaster 

Last Modified: Mon, Jun 1, 1998