Informal migration for labor

Foreign workers in country

Thailand rolls out red carpet for wealthy foreign workers with 10-year visa, tax breaks

Thailand, called the “Land of Smiles,” is rolling out the red carpet for foreign workers, joining a bevy of countries looking to use the immigration route to boost their economies. Top professionals, eligible high-net-worth individuals and retirees can start applying online from Thursday to stay for ...

Bloomberg

Thailand plans to reopen borders to foreign workers amid shortage

Thailand plans to reopen its borders to workers from neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, a government official said on Tuesday (Nov 9), in a bid to ease a labour shortage that is hurting its export and tourism-dependent economy. Pairote Chotikasathien, from the Ministry of Labor, said ...

Reuters/aj

Thailand Migrant Workers Sign Contracts They Don’t Understand, Undercutting Efforts to Stop Abuses

Migrant workers from Cambodia and Myanmar are being asked to sign contracts they cannot read in order to work in Thailand’s fishing fleet, a new study has found, undercutting efforts to expunge abuses from a sector worth billions of dollars to the Southeast Asian country. Thailand ...

Vijitra Duangdee

Anti-Myanmar hate speech flares in Thailand over virus

“Wherever you see Myanmar people, shoot them down,” read one Thai comment on YouTube after a surge of coronavirus cases among workers from Myanmar. The outbreak, first detected at a seafood market near Bangkok, has prompted a flare-up in such online hate speech as well as ...

Reporting by Shoon Naing in Yangon; Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Sam Holmes

Thailand: Migrants Could Benefit from Moves to Ease COVID-19 Restrictions

Migrant workers in Thailand who could not return to their home countries because of the COVID-19 lockdown have lost jobs and suffered financial hardship during the pandemic, but could soon see their outlook improve as the country starts to reopen. Thailand has long been a regional ...

Nontarat Phaicharoen

Migrant workers’ unemployment may hinder disease control

As the Thai economy is heavily impacted by government attempts to control the COVID-19 outbreak, experts believe that the situation for migrant workers may contribute to the epidemic. Proper policies and employment support are needed to set things right. It has been 2 weeks since Rachen ...

Yiamyut Sutthichaya

Covid-19 measures leave Southeast Asia’s migrant workers exposed, lay bare their living conditions

Job loss, crowded quarters and reduced access to healthcare are among the issues foreign workers face. Advocacy groups say the pandemic can only be controlled with an inclusive approach that protects every individual’s rights to life and health. The spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus among Singapore’s migrant ...

Neo Chai Chin

Thai lockdown sparks exodus of 60,000 migrant workers: ministry official

About 60,000 migrant workers living in Thailand have fled the country since authorities shut malls and many businesses at the weekend to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a Thai interior ministry official said on Wednesday. Thailand’s latest measures have left many without jobs and prompted ...

Panarat Thepgumpanat

Free border pass for Songkran returnees

Workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia can return to their countries for the Songkran festival without having to pay a border pass fee, according to a policy committee on tackling migrant worker problems and human trafficking. The waiver was announced at a panel meeting on ...

300,000 migrants expected to leave Thailand for Songkran

An exodus of nearly 300,000 migrant workers is expected from April 5-30 when they visit hometowns for the Songkran festival in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Labour Minister Pol General Adul Sangsingkeo, following a meeting of the Migrant Worker Management and Anti-Human Trafficking Sub-committee on Wednesday, ...

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