THAILAND - MIGRATION IN 1998

Migration dilemmas hounded Thailand throughout 1998: what to do with irregular migrants, labor shortage in industries that have been dependent on migrant labor, dealing with stranded migrants, the complex situation of refugees in the country, promoting its workers in the global labor market, and the challenge of extending protection to its nationals overseas.

First, on the matter of repatriation. In January, the National Committee for Solving Joblessness identified the repatriation of some two million irregular migrants in order to free up jobs for unemployed Thais. The draft plan called for the deportation of 300,000 irregular foreign workers (mostly from Myanmar) in the next six months, with the cooperation of employers. Using the same target for the next months, it is expected that a million irregular migrant workers would be forced out of the country by 1999. Registered foreign workers — 300,000 — would also have to be repatriated upon the expiration of their work permit. By March, it was announced that beginning 1 May, government officials will inspect workplaces in nine sectors — garments and textiles, food, heavy industries, chemicals, wood, paper and publishing, services, transportation and commercial — to ensure that they do not employ irregular migrant workers. Errant employers will be slapped with five years’ imprisonment and/or a 50,000-baht fine for violating the Immigration Act, and three years’ jail and/or a 60,000-baht fine for violating a law concerning foreign workers. The May 1 crackdown did push through (although there were announcements to the contrary) and was able to repatriate 260,000 (200,000 were from Myanmar). By the end of May, it became apparent that the repatriation only left affected industries short of critical labor. By July, due to earnest lobbying by rice millers, the deadline was extended. Later, other industries complained of labor shortage. By October, the Labour Ministry relented and allowed foreign workers in six industries for another year: fisheries operators in 22 provinces, swine raisers in 11 provinces, rice millers in 33 provinces, rubber growers in 12 provinces and shippers in Bangkok. The outcome only confirmed reservations about the viability of the repatriation policy. Too many factors seem to work against it. For one, employers have a vested interest in irregular migration; for another, the economic and political conditions in Myanmar are formidable push factors that keep the flow of irregular migration going.

As to Thailand’s plan to export 210,000 workers in 1998, the government has launched several programs supporting this objective. If the target could be met, the government could generate about 100 billion baht in remittances. Labour Minister Trairong Suwankhiri has been promoting Thai workers in his travels overseas. The government has also increased funds so workers can avail of low interest loans. Beginning 15 September, the Foreign Ministry will use the radio network to help people find jobs abroad and to protect job-seekers from illegal brokers. Countries with large numbers of Thai workers include Taiwan, 130,000 ; Japan, 10,000; and Saudi Arabia, 20,000. Meanwhile, some 9,000 Thais, mostly in the construction sector, were repatriated from Brunei, and another 7,000 are expected to be laid off later in the year.

The pitfalls of overseas employment victimized many job-seekers. A center that monitors frauds in overseas jobs said 2,523 job-seekers had been cheated by job placement companies, defrauding their victims of some 115 million baht. Job-seekers to Taiwan may be able to find some relief from exorbitant placement fees following an agreement forged between the Taiwan Labour Council and the Department of Employment in May. The agreement provided for the following: brokerage charge of at most 69,000 baht (37,000 would go to Taiwanese firms and the rest to Thai firms), a monthly fee of 1,200 baht per head will be charged workers once they are in Taiwan, and exempting Taiwanese employers for expenses such as health check-ups, work permits, accommodation and return tickets. The trafficking of Thai women to African countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin and Nigeria had been going for a decade but Thai authorities had only been alerted about it a few years back. According to Interpol, Bangkok is a hub for gangs running prostitution rings in Africa. Gangs are said to extract between 300,000 to a milllion baht per woman with promises of jobs as waitresses or dancers in restaurants. Also uncovered in 1998 was a job scam that brought Thai workers to Sweden as berry pickers. Without work permits, they were apprehended by Swedish authorities and sent home. In addition to more than 100 who had been repatriated in August, Swedish police said there could be around a thousand of them remaining in the country. Some of the victims spent as much as US$2,000 for the trip.

Thailand hosts refugees from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. In what is considered a significant policy shift, the Thai government has asked the UNHCR for assistance in the handling of refugees from Myanmar. There are 80,000-100,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand; they had been coming to Thailand since the 1980s. In dealing with refugees from Myanmar, Thailand hopes to avoid a repeat of the Cambodian experience. The first wave of Cambodian refugees arrived in 1975 and over the years their number swelled to 300,000. It was not until 1993 that Thailand and UNHCR finally succeeded in emptying the last camps along the Cambodian border. Observers think that Thailand may run into more obstacles in repatriating Myanmar refugees. During the year, Thailand had to relocate Karen refugees after a group of pro-Myanmar individuals attacked their camp in March. There was also a move to relocate Karen refugees from the Salween forest to protect the area from illegal logging. Meanwhile, the coup d’etat in Cambodia in July 1997 renewed refugee movements to Thailand. As of October, there were 37,162 Cambodians remaining in Thailand. Repatriation has been moving slowly because the process itself is time-consuming and due to the uncertain political situation in Cambodia. As for the refugees from Laos, the remaining 1,156 could now consider going back to their country of origin. Laos is now considered politically safe and stable for the refugees to return to. Laos agreed to the repatriation as long as the return is voluntary.

Some one million overseas Thais will be able to exercise the right to vote in the next general election, as provided by the new Constitution passed in Parliament in June. Voting arrangements for overseas Thais are being finalized. The registration of eligible voters (i.e., valid passport holders) was planned between September and November. Thailand also firmed up policies concerning the granting of residency to foreigners under the Foreign Investors Privilege. Applications will be open from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 2000. The policy hopes to attract rich Indonesian Chinese as well as Macau residents (in view of the 1999 handover). Thailand offers permanent residency to foreigners with at least 10 million baht in cash for investment or deposit in Thailand. Another alternative is short-term residence of three years which will be granted to anyone who invests three million baht in the country.

The UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration hosted a conference on "Asia-Pacific International Governmental Consultations on Regional Approaches to Refugees and Displaced Persons." Among the recommendations that came out of the conference were: the setting up of an early warning system to inform countries about potential migration, bilateral cooperation between sending and receiving countries, the setting of a secretariat in Bangkok to enhance regional cooperation in managing migration flows, better protection for foreign workers, humane treatment of legal and undocumented migrants, the use of amnesties, and the need for effective reintegration programs. The Foreign Ministry is planning to organize an international symposium on migration in early 1999 to address the impact of transnational migration in the region and to explore international cooperation in managing migration flows.