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| AsiaViews, Edition: 48/VI/March2010 |
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| Thousands of Burmese migrants miss NV deadline |
More than 600,000 migrants in Thailand failed to summit requests for nationality verification (NV) by the March 2 deadline and could now face deportation.
There are 1.3 million registered migrants in Thailand, some 80 percent of whom are Burmese. Migrants from Laos and Cambodia mostly comprise the others.
The Alien Workers Management Committee reported on Wednesday that of the 1,315,932 registered migrant workers in the country, only 707,246 came forward to request work permit extensions.
Migrants were required to complete the NV process on or before Tuesday to qualify for renewal of work permits. Those failing to apply could be deported according to a 2008 Thai Cabinet Resolution.
"We will not be lenient," said Supat Gukun, the deputy director-general of Thailand's Education Department, according to Thai news agency The Nation on Tuesday, in reference to those migrants who failed to register, adding that his office would work closely with the police and the Immigration Bureau in enforcing the law.
The Thai government has announced it will give two-year work permits to migrants who complete the NV process. However, many migrants are believed to have avoided registering due to fears of arrest and deportation or to avoid paying the fees.
Over 50 civic groups have urged the Thai government to allow more time for migrants to register.
Jackie Pollock, a founder member of the Migrant Assistance Program (MAP), a Chiang Mai-based NGO, said, “Mass deportation is not going to solve the problem. Mass deportation usually results in violations of people's rights.”
Andy Hall, the director of the Bangkok-based Migrant Justice Programme, said, “It doesn't make sense to deport them. The [Thai] economy needs them. The government should think about it carefully. They can open up again for registration.”
Migrants seeking to work legally in Thailand must submit detailed biographical information to their home country authorities in order to complete the NV procedure. Many Burmese fear for their safety and of repercussions against family members in Burma if they turn up at the military government offices to complete the paperwork.
Many Burmese migrants are from minority groups such as the Mon, Karen and Shan, and have fled from Burmese army oppression and human right abuses.
Burmese Home Minister Maung Oo addressed Burmese migrants at the Thai port of Mahachai on Saturday and urged them to register, saying they would not be threatened or deported.
While Cambodian and Laotian authorities have sent their officials to Thailand to complete the process in previous years, the Burmese government wants all migrant workers to go to three border points in Burma—Myawaddy, Tachilek and Kawthaung—to complete nationality verification registration.
Maung Oo announced on Saturday that a fourth office will be opened in the near future at Three Pagodas Pass.
Meanwhile, the ILO has published a report saying that Thailand's discrimination against migrant workers breaches international law.
The ILO criticized the Thai government for its treatment of migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos and said that migrants are unable to access work accident compensation. |
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| By Lawi Weng |
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| The Irrawaddy, 03 March 2010 |
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