Seminar on migrant labor begins

Seminar on migrant labor begins 

A seminar to discuss migrant labor issues started today in Chiangmai following reports about the present Taksin government's policy to deport 300,000 illegal workers a month earlier. 

The 3-day seminar, titled "Cooperation between GOs and NGOs for the resolution of migrant labor issue in Thailand" commenced with an open speech by veteran activist Worakij Kanthakalang, Secretary General of the YMCA for Northern Development Foundation. 

"We must not forget that while we are complaining about illegal labor coming from Burma, other countries are also doing the same about hundreds of thousands of our countrymen working illegally there," he said. "It is human nature to look for places where the grass is greener." 

Adisorn Kerdmongkhol, the presenter from Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, reported during the morning session, "Nobody really knows how many migrant workers we have in our country. Work permits issued by the Labor Ministry at a great cost to the employers have not been honored by the Interior Ministry thereby discouraging all well-intentioned employers from applying for work permits." 

Another presenter, Ms. Jiraphorn Saetang of International Alliance against Women Trafficking, informed a campaign for the issuance of temporary visas for the migrant workers was being launched. "They are going to be with us whether we want them or not," she said. 

A discussant, agreeing to the presenters' arguments, said, "It is easier to view the people coming from Burma as trouble makers. However, what few realize is that they are also who are helping us with the reconstruction of our economy." 
The seminar is organized by Migrant Assistance Program, the Mekhong Sub-Regional Program, Trans-national Labor Development Network, Friends without Borders, Social Development and Services Unit and Y.M.C.A. for Northern Development Foundation. 

Representatives from government organizations, including the National Security Council, are due to participate in the seminar on the last day. 

A budget of 80 million baht has been allocated to detain and repatriate 300,000 migrant workers, according to a newspaper report on 28 February.