Thailand Extends Migrant Worker Permits

By LAWI WENG
Friday, January 22, 2010

The Thai government has extended two-year work permits held by 1.3 million Burmese migrants whose permits were scheduled to expire, but migrants are required to complete the nationality verification process by Feb. 28 to qualify for renewal. After that date, they could be deported.

In a press release, Supat Kukhum, the deputy director of the Employment Department, said, “For migrants to benefit from the extension, they must now submit their nationality verification forms by the Feb. 28 and also renew their work permits by that time to be able to stay in the kingdom.”

He said that if migrant workers don't meet the deadlines, they will be considered illegal aliens and if arrested deported from Thailand.

Migrant worker advocates are concerned that the verification system will not be able to process the estimated 1.4 million workers who must complete the process by Feb. 28. The cumbersome process requires that workers go to one of three locations in Burma to have the government confirm their Burmese citizenship.

The Thai government announced in December 2008 that migrants who have not yet completed the nationality verification process by Feb. 28, 2010, would be deported.

Thirty-six human rights organizations in Thailand sent an open letter to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Jan 19 expressing concern about the possible mass deportation of migrant workers if the government failed to renew work permits in an orderly way.

Rights groups say the pressing deadline could lead to a mass deportation of Burmese migrants because many did not take part in the national verification process. There are only about 10,000 Burmese migrant workers in Thailand who have qualified for the new work permit passports, which require nationality verification.

According to the migrant worker groups, there are more than 2 million registered migrant workers in Thailand. About Ninety percent are Burmese.

One group of 61,543 Burmese migrant workers have permits that expired on Jan 20. A second group of about 1.3 million Burmese workers have permits that will expire on Feb. 28.

The rights groups said migrant workers need more time to go through the nationality verification process.

To verify their nationality, migrant workers have to submit detailed biographical information to the Burmese military. Burmese authorities said there is no tax involved in the process. Many migrant workers fear for their safety and repercussions against family members in Burma if they turn up at military government offices for the nationality verification registration process. Burmese authorities said such fears are groundless.

Many Burmese migrants are from minority groups such as the Mon, Karen and Shan, and they have fled from Burmese army oppression and human right abuses.

The rights groups say the Burmese migrant community has little public information about the national verification process and its benefit, both for migrant workers and employers.

The right groups have called on the Burmese government to send officials to Thailand to verify migrants' nationalities in order to encourage migrant workers to register. Due to a lack of information and awareness about the national verification process, many migrant workers have chosen to stay away from the process.

In previous years, Cambodian and Lao governments officials have come to Thailand to complete a similar process. However, the Burmese government has refused such requests and wants all migrant workers to go to one of three border points—Myawaddy, Tachilek or Kawthaung—for the nationality verification registration.