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Bkk post - Thai Factories Suffer Lo



Subject: Bkk post - Thai Factories Suffer Losses On Deported Foreign Workers

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Bangkok Post - Jan 08, 2000
Saturday, January 8 12:39 AM SGT=20
Thai Factories Suffer Losses On Deported Foreign Workers
MAE SOT, Thailand (AP)--Thai factory owners facing big losses after the =
deportation of Myanmar migrant workers appealed to the government Friday =
for permission to rehire them to plug a chronic labor shortage.=20
Paniti Tanpati, chairman of the chamber of commerce in the northwestern =
Tak province, bordering Myanmar, said that factories in the main =
provincial town of Mae Sot urgently needed 24,000 laborers.=20

Paniti estimated factories have suffered 2 billion baht ($1=3DTHB37.273) =
in losses for not meeting delivery obligations since Nov., when police =
launched a nationwide crackdown on the estimated one million illegal =
migrant laborers in Thailand from Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, also =
known as Burma.=20

The labor shortage has forced thirty factories in the district to close =
and most others to operate at reduced capacity.=20

The plants, mostly making textiles, need 30,000 workers to operate at =
full capacity, but had been able to recruit only 6,000 Thais.=20

Tanpati made his appeal to a visiting high-ranking government official, =
Vudhi Sukosol, on behalf of local farm owners and the 70 plants that =
relied on cheap Myanmar labor in Mae Sot, 370 kilometers (230 miles) =
northwest of Bangkok.=20

The crackdown on the immigrants was meant to free up jobs for Thai =
workers because of high unemployment from two years of recession, but =
most Thais spurn the manual jobs done by migrants from Myanmar for as =
little as THB40 per day.=20

Mae Sot immigration police have deported 30,000 Myanmar citizens over =
the past two months. Some 4,000 are believed to have sneaked back.=20

Paniti appealed for factories to be allowed to hire Myanmar workers who =
cross the border legally in the morning and leave from Thailand at =
night.=20

Vudhi said he would report the problem to the presidential cabinet.=20


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<DIV><FONT color=3D#800000 face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Bangkok Post - Jan =
08,=20
2000</B></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Saturday, January 8</B> 12:39 AM SGT =
</DIV>
<H2><FONT color=3D#800000 size=3D4>Thai Factories Suffer Losses On =
Deported Foreign=20
Workers</FONT></H2>
<DIV>MAE SOT, Thailand (AP)--Thai factory owners facing big losses after =
the=20
deportation of Myanmar migrant workers appealed to the government Friday =
for=20
permission to rehire them to plug a chronic labor shortage. </DIV>
<P>Paniti Tanpati, chairman of the chamber of commerce in the =
northwestern Tak=20
province, bordering Myanmar, said that factories in the main provincial =
town of=20
Mae Sot urgently needed 24,000 laborers.=20
<P>Paniti estimated factories have suffered 2 billion baht =
($1=3DTHB37.273) in=20
losses for not meeting delivery obligations since Nov., when police =
launched a=20
nationwide crackdown on the estimated one million illegal migrant =
laborers in=20
Thailand from Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, also known as Burma.=20
<P>The labor shortage has forced thirty factories in the district to =
close and=20
most others to operate at reduced capacity.=20
<P>The plants, mostly making textiles, need 30,000 workers to operate at =
full=20
capacity, but had been able to recruit only 6,000 Thais.=20
<P>Tanpati made his appeal to a visiting high-ranking government =
official, Vudhi=20
Sukosol, on behalf of local farm owners and the 70 plants that relied on =
cheap=20
Myanmar labor in Mae Sot, 370 kilometers (230 miles) northwest of =
Bangkok.=20
<P>The crackdown on the immigrants was meant to free up jobs for Thai =
workers=20
because of high unemployment from two years of recession, but most Thais =
spurn=20
the manual jobs done by migrants from Myanmar for as little as THB40 per =
day.=20
<P>Mae Sot immigration police have deported 30,000 Myanmar citizens over =
the=20
past two months. Some 4,000 are believed to have sneaked back.=20
<P>Paniti appealed for factories to be allowed to hire Myanmar workers =
who cross=20
the border legally in the morning and leave from Thailand at night.=20
<P>Vudhi said he would report the problem to the presidential cabinet.=20
</P></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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