Call to relax rules for Burmese hands

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/11715/call-to-relax-rules-for-burmese-hands

By: ANUCHA CHAROENPO
Published: 16/02/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: NewsThe government should relax regulations governing the registration of ethnic workers from Burma, particularly the nationality verification process, say rights activists.

The call comes as work permits for Burmese migrant workers expire at the end of the month.

An agreement signed in June 2003 to allow Burmese to work in Thailand required all ethnic minority migrants to verify their nationality before obtaining a work permit.

However, Thai authorities have failed to implement this verification process. Only a small number of workers have applied to have their nationality verified and in recent years none have managed to get a work permit.

Thet Khaing, chairman of Migrant Affairs Associate, yesterday said he had monitored the process closely from the beginning and found there were many challenges and obstacles which led to its failure.

Thet Khaing was speaking at a Consultation on Verification of Migrants' Nationalities Agenda seminar at the Christian Students Centre in Bangkok.

He said many Burmese migrants were from ethnic minorities such as the Karen, Mon and Shan, who were escaping persecution by the military.



"There are no guarantees that in enduring such a process [having their nationality verified] they will not face maltreatment and retaliation from the junta," Thet Khaing said.

Also, the Burmese government has only three checkpoints - at Kawthaung (also known as Victoria Point, opposite Ranong), Myawaddy (opposite Mae Sot in Tak) and Tachilek (opposite Mae Sai in Chiang Rai) - for Burmese migrants to verify their nationality.

The lack and location of the checkpoints means that many Burmese migrants working far away, such as in Bangkok, do not go to verify their nationality as it is too costly.

Khun Win, coordinator of the Pa-O Foundation, said Bangkok and Rangoon had to cooperate and provide the necessary documents to explain the process to applicants so they are confident they and their family members will be safe.

He said the Thai government had to adopt a process similar to that used with Lao and Cambodian migrants, who are allowed to verify their nationality in Thailand.

"We risk our lives if we go back to verify our nationality in Burma. We fear persecution by the junta," Khun Win said.

Satita Norpo, coordinator of the Action Network for Migrants, said she wanted Bangkok to register all Burmese migrant workers, considering the need for them in the labour market.

This would help them secure work permits and give them easy access to the nationality verification process.

There are about 2 million Burmese workers in Thailand with only 30% of them working legally.

Meanwhile, Wichai Sonklang, 38, and Boonsri Thongsaisorn, 32, were arrested in Kanchanaburi yesterday on charges of smuggling 71 Burmese into the country.

The police said the Burmese had entered Thailand in Sangkhla Buri district in the hope of finding work at factories in Samut Sakhon province.

They each paid from 6,000 to 10,000 baht to a Mon agent in exchange for assistance to come to Thailand.

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