News
Focus on Thai fishing distracts from worker abuse in other sectors: researchers
Millions of migrant workers in Thailand’s construction, agriculture and livestock industries suffer from exploitative practices, but a focus on the fishing sector has distracted attention from them, researchers said on Thursday. Migrant workers in several industries get few protections, including a minimum wage and overtime ...
Burmese Migrant Women at Risk in Thailand
Discriminatory practices are holding Burmese migrant women back. “The Burma government doesn’t care that people come to Thailand for work. Sometimes I feel like I want to go home but it’s not any better in Burma. It’s difficult in Thailand, but in Burma there is ...
Extortion and abuse: Myanmar workers arrive debt-laden in Thailand
A “mafia” of recruitment agents is trapping Myanmar migrants to Thailand in debt bondage despite a 2017 law meant to fight exploitation in the kingdom’s notoriously shadowy job market, activists and workers say. Keep reading ...
Expat survey puts Thailand fourth in Asean
Despite the many high-profile international campaigns that tout the welcoming people, exotic food and attractions of the Land of Smiles, Thailand placed fourth after Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia in this year’s survey . []The Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar were ranked below Thailand. The positions remained unchanged ...
Thailand Needs Criminal Law to Shield Migrant Workers from Abuse: HRW
As Thailand prepares to extend work permits for 11,000 foreign migrant workers, including many in the fishing industry, a Human Rights Watch official called on the government Tuesday to outlaw forced labor. Phil Robertson, a deputy Asia director for the global rights watchdog, praised the ...
Illegal migrant workers rounded up – employers fined
The government’s Department of Employment has started rounding up illegal foreign workers following last year’s amnesty. Checks on nearly 50,000 foreign workers at establishments in the past month had led to the arrest of 1,162 illegal workers and the prosecution of 204 law-breaking employers. Keep reading ...
Migrant social security discussed
Southeast Asian migrant workers are no longer just emigrating to developed countries, increasingly they’re moving within the region. With cross-border labour migration increasing, the question for governments has been how to ensure their citizens enjoy social security benefits abroad. []In light of this, labour authorities from ...
Authorities redoubling efforts to legalise Lao workers in Thailand
All Lao workers who return home to register with the authorities will need to get work permits and passports from labour officials so they can legally work in Thailand. The Ministry of Labour and Social welfare recently ordered all its provincial departments to provide free ...
HRW to EU: End migrant abuse
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the European Union (EU) to renew efforts to eliminate forced labour and other abusive treatment within the Thai fishing industry, noting that a large number of workers were from Cambodia and Myanmar. Keep reading ...
More than 800 illegal migrants arrested
More than 800 illegal migrant workers, who failed to apply for a work permit by June 30, have been arrested. []Out of 1,600 workplaces, 150 of them were found to be employing illegal alien workers. There are currently 1.1 million legal migrant workers who make up ...