Search Results for: migrant workers
- Thailand News
Migrant workers fill gap in Thailand’s tourism and service sectors due to labour shortage
Migrant workers are increasingly filling roles in Thailand‘s tourism and service sectors, due to a chronic manpower shortage, according to Tanit Sorat, deputy chairman of the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT). The labour shortage is the result of new Thai graduates choosing freelance jobs and the country’s ageing population. Sorat explained that with many graduates preferring a slower lifestyle over…
- Economy News
Arrogant Thai construction company rips off Myanmar migrant workers
An arrogant Thai construction company has been ordered to cough up wages it refused to pay to its migrant workers earlier this year. The arrogance of the unnamed building firm is underlined by the fact that no representatives came to court to defend or justify its action. The Labour Court in Phuket told the construction company to settle three months’…
- World Cup
400 to 500 migrant workers in Qatar died due to World Cup, not 6,500
A FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar chief revealed that about 400 to 500 migrant workers had died from working on projects related to the World Cup. The figure stated by Hassan Al-Thawadi, the Permanent Secretary of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) of Qatar’s FIFA World Cup 2022, is in contradiction to what The Guardian found. The British…
- Thailand News
Migrant workers – even undocumented – can stay until 2025
Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam got a reprieve for the next few years as the Thai Cabinet extended their ability to stay in the country until early 2025. The extension of stay will be permitted for both documented and undocumented migrant workers and will lengthen the time they are allowed to stay until February 13, 2025. The…
- Thailand News
European Union praises Thailand’s efforts in migrant workers’ rights
While Thailand is renowned for its beaches, mountains, and smiles, the country doesn’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to labour rights. Earlier this week, Thailand raised its minimum daily wage to 650 baht per day. Anyone who lives here knows that even the new wage is absurdly low, and not enough to live comfortably. Meanwhile, Thailand is…
- Thailand News
Quarantine waivered allowing 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand
In an effort to stop illegal border crossers looking for work, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will allow more than 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand without having to go through the quarantine procedure. Workers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have been given a free pass from tomorrow through the MoU signed if they have been fully vaccinated with…
- Thailand News
First group of ‘official’ Burmese migrant workers enter Thailand to bolster labour market
Thailand’s PM and the Minister of Defence Prayut Chan-o-cha is asking all relevant departments to recruit migrant workers using the Memorandum of Understanding or MOU system. The PM has also directed the Ministry of Labour to “take care of each worker”, and ensure that Covid-19 prevention measures are adhered to. Today, the PM’s Spokesperson, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, told Thai media that…
- Thailand News
Thailand aims to employ army of 150,000 migrant workers to solve labour shortage
Thailand is looking to bring in more labourers from neighbouring countries with the help of recruitment agencies, as the government seeks to employ an army of around 150,000 foreign workers to make up for the country’s low percentage of people willing to do manual labour jobs. But the general public is worried about the clutter and spread of Covid-19 from…
- Thailand News
Thai officials say to “look out for” illegal migrant workers amidst Covid-19 surge
This morning, a government spokesman said people in border provinces have been told to “look out for” illegal migrant workers as governors prepare for an increase in Covid-19 infections. He also said people should report “suspicious looking strangers” to authorities. He said police and labour officials have been told to check and make sure factories aren’t hiring illegal migrants, and…
- Business News
Businesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers
Businesses in Thailand are urging the government to speed up the process that will allow for the legal return of migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The Labour Ministry recently confirmed its intention to sign MoUs with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos that would permit workers from those countries to enter Thailand from December. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Half a million vaccine doses set aside for return of migrant workers
The Thai government has set aside up to half a million Covid-19 vaccine doses as it prepares for the return of much-needed migrant workers. The move comes following confirmation from Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin that Thailand will sign MoUs with neighbouring countries to allow workers to enter through legal channels. Officials have vowed to crack down on people smugglers and…
- Business News
Thailand’s chicken industry suffering from lack of migrant workers
Thailand, one of the world’s major producers of chicken products, is struggling to keep up with exports. Japanese food companies, one of the major importers of Thai chicken, are feeling the pinch. Like many industries, it’s a labour shortage causing many of the issues. Around the world, supply chains have been severely disrupted by the Covid pandemic and labourers have…
- Business News
Labour Ministry confirms timeframe for registering undocumented migrant workers
The Thai government has issued a timeframe during which employers must register undocumented migrant workers, thereby allowing them to obtain work permits and work legally. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Labour Minister, Suchart Chomklin, says the measure applies to migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, and is being introduced to mitigate the risk of further Covid-19 outbreaks.…
- Thailand News
12 Burmese migrant workers arrested in Kanchanaburi
12 Burmese migrant workers have been arrested near a border village in the Muang district in western Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province. Police say the group was arrested yesterday for illegal entry. The group of 5 men and 7 women were arrested by an army patrol from the Lat Ya Task Force around 4pm. The Bangkok Post says the group was hiding…
- Thailand News
10 Burmese migrant workers arrested in Songkhla
10 Burmese migrant workers were arrested this morning at a rubber plantation near the Malaysian border in the southern Thai province of Songkhla. Police say 7 migrant workers managed to evade capture. A combination of provincial and immigration police went to the plantation that is near the Dan Nok Village, opposite Malaysia’s Kedah State, in anticipation of a van full…
- Thailand News
14 Burmese migrant workers arrested for allegedly illegally crossing the border
14 Burmese migrant workers were arrested in western Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province this morning. The Bangkok Post says they were found hiding in the forest by army patrol and police. The group was mostly men, and none had travel documents on them. When the workers were questioned, they told officials that they had been walking on natural trails from Dawei, a…
- Thailand News
Lack of migrant workers forces government to appeal to Thais to fill vacant jobs
A shortage of migrant workers has driven the Thai government to appeal to Thais to do the jobs that have been left vacant. The Phuket News says there are over 400,000 jobs that need to be filled after migrant workers were unable to fill them due to Covid restrictions, which prevented them from entering Thailand. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin says…
- Asia
Nearly 40 border officials quarantined for testing after 9 migrant workers they arrested test positive for Covid
Nearly 40 officials in Songkhla, a southern Thai province, are quarantined for testing after 9 out of 14 illegal Burmese migrant workers, whom the officials arrested previously, tested positive for Covid. The migrant workers were arrested by immigration police and administrative officials at a border section near Ban Rai Tok, opposite the Kedah State of Malaysia, on Saturday. The workers…
- Thailand News
14 Burmese migrant workers arrested in Songkhla
14 Burmese migrant workers were arrested yesterday in Songkhla, a southern Thai province. They were on the Thai border opposite Malaysia’s Kedah State. The migrants were arrested in 2 groups. One group was arrested yesterday afternoon after a Toyota truck was stopped along the border at the Rai Tok village. Officials discovered 7 Burmese migrant workers inside, 4 men and…
- Thailand News
Police bust gang that allegedly transported migrant workers
A gang that allegedly took Laotian migrant workers from Bangkok to the northeast of Thailand has been busted. The Chief of Immigration, Sompong “Big Oud” Chingduang told the media about the bust involving a gang is reportedly called “Jay Wan”. Multiple sources had reported the group’s alleged illicit behaviour. According to Thai media, the group had the workers book their…
- Thailand News
Minister: Foreigners, migrant workers are cared for amid Covid-19
Facing mounting criticism of the plight of migrant workers, often Burmese or Cambodian immigrants, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin has spoken out in defence of the treatment of foreigners within Thailand. He stressed to the press that all laws and policies are non-discriminatory and that the government has addressed the concerns and safety of foreign…
- Thailand News
Laos Covid-19 cases rise as migrant workers return from Thailand
Covid-19 cases in Laos has spiked, reportedly due to migrant workers returning home from Thailand, bringing the virus with them. In Thailand’s latest wave of infections over the past several months, many of the workers had lost their jobs while others returned to their home country to flee from lockdown restrictions at construction camps and factories, primarily in Bangkok. Covid-19…
- Thailand News
Migrant workers ask Thai government for assistance during the pandemic
With Covid-19 affecting many migrant communities in Thailand, Cambodian workers are now asking the Thai government for help. A petition calling for assistance during the pandemic to help with providing food, financial support and medical services was submitted this week to the Thai Ministry of Labour and Parliament. Thousands of Cambodian migrant workers signed the petition, which was submitted by…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Covid-19 screening centre in Bangkok temporarily closed to migrant workers
After many migrant workers infected with Covid-19 were reportedly abandoned at the Public Health Ministry’s Pre-Admission Centre in Bangkok, it is now temporarily closed to migrant workers. The centre is used to screen people who are infected with the virus before sending them to a facility for treatment. Apparently, a number of workers have been dropped off at the centres.…
- Thailand News
2 men arrested in Kanchanaburi for allegedly smuggling in migrant workers over the last 2 days
Early this morning and yesterday night, 2 Thai nationals and over 28 Burmese have been arrested in Kanchanaburi, a province in western Thailand. The Thais were allegedly smuggling the migrants into Thailand so they could work in the country. The exact charges have not been specified. In the first bust: A combination of police, soldiers, and “volunteers” had stopped and…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
515 test positive for Covid at construction site in Nonthaburi, mostly migrant workers
Another construction site, this time in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, has reported an outbreak of Covid-19 after active testing revealed 515 people infected with Covid-19, over half of the 959 total workers who were there and screened. The worksite, Sin0-Thai, has been ordered to close. The majority of those who tested positive were asymptomatic, according to provincial health officials who…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thailand may offer free Covid vaccines for migrant workers covered by national social security program
The Thai government is looking at offering free Covid‐19 vaccines to migrant workers who are covered under the nation’s social security program. The Thai Ministry of Labour is set to discuss the move with the Social Security Board. If approved, over 2.3 million migrant workers would be inoculated for free, costing around 3 billion baht. The Labour Minister says migrant…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Samut Sakhon officials seal off migrant workers in 7 factories for entire month
Health officials in the central province of Samut Sakhon have taken the unprecedented step of sealing off 7 factories, where 40,000 migrant labourers live and work, until the end of February. The action is aimed at halting the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Public Health Permanent Secretary, Kiatipoom Wongrajit, says over 9,000 infections have been found in the 7 factories,…
- Thailand News
Migrant workers risk losing their legal status, the Cabinet to extend work permit amnesty
Over 1.7 million migrant workers in Thailand are going to lose their legal working status because they can’t submit work permit renewal and a health certificate with Covid-19 test results in time. The Labour Ministry then proposes the cabinet will extend the registration period (amnesty) for migrant workers to help maintain their legal status. Migrant workers, including those illegal and…
- Crime News
Arrest warrants sought for 8 civilians suspected of smuggling migrant workers
Deputy national police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas has confirmed that arrest warrants are being sought for 8 civilians implicated in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers. The Bangkok Post reports that the 8 face charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The workers were trafficked from Myanmar to the central Thai province of Samut Sakhon, where the latest outbreak of Covid-19…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
541 additional Covid-19 infections announced for Samut Sakhon, mostly migrant workers
On top of the numbers of new infections announced earlier today – some 315 both local and imported cases – the province of Samut Sakhon has reported 541 additional Covid-19 infections this afternoon afternoon. Most of them are migrant workers from the local seafood industry. The Mahachai Shrimp Market on the coast of Samut Sakhon, just south west of Bangkok,…
- Thailand News
Migrant workers to be granted 2-year work permit and health insurance
Undocumented migrant workers from 3 countries will be able to register for legal employment allowing a 2-year stay. The Cabinet approved the measure in an effort to control the spread of Covid-19 after an outbreak at a Samut Sakhon seafood market affecting a large migrant community who worked around the fishing hub. Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will…
- Crime News
Police raid factory, arrest man and detain 11 migrant workers
After announcing a crackdown on labour traffickers, police arrested a Chinese man who allegedly illegally operated a rubber glove factory and employed undocumented migrants. After a spike in Covid-19 cases involving more than 1,000 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, many who worked in the Mahachai area fishing hub, police said they would investigate migrant trafficking and make major arrests. Before…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Covid outbreak update, migrant workers ‘dumped’, Phuket’s fake cases | Dec 23
Before we get started today just a quick note about the comments section in YouTube. Like any other news source we get our fair share of trolls, haters and whackos. We also get plenty of interesting comments, and from time to time, some important corrections. During these times when facts matter, and times here in Thailand when protesters are addressing…
- Thailand News
Samut Sakhon employer allegedly “dumps” migrant workers at a highway outside Bangkok
A group of Burmese migrant workers ended up on the side of a highway near Bangkok after their employer allegedly told them to get in a van to go get tested for Covid-19. The incident caught media attention as many coronavirus prevention measures focused on migrant workers were recently imposed after hundreds of workers at a seafood market in Samut…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Several migrant workers flee Samut Sakhon detention, 3 re-captured in Chon Buri
A group of Burmese workers managed to flee a detention area in the Covid-19 hotspot of Samut Sakhon yesterday, with 3 later re-captured in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that photos showing a broken wall went viral on social media, with claims that several migrant workers had smashed the wall and torn down wire fences…
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Government urged to let in 100,000 migrant workers from Myanmar despite Covid surge
The government in Thailand is being urged by larger Thai multinationals, and the construction and fisheries industry, to let in about 100,000 migrants from Myanmar, despite a recent surge in Covid-19 infections inside the kingdom. Officials say they will comply with the demands to let the migrant workers in, however, they will regulate their arrivals. Suebsakun Kidnukorn, an academic with…
