PHUKET: A crackdown on illegal workers on Phuket is feared by some following the expiry of the deadline for nationality verification, a senior Phuket official said yesterday.
About 30,000 illegal workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos are believed to be on Phuket, the Director of the Phuket Labor Office, Yaowapa Piboonpol said as the deadline expired on Friday.
As at November 25, there were 72,401 legal migrant workers on Phuket, more than 80 percent of them Burmese, registered by 8161 Phuket employers, she said.
Phuket had an unemployment rate of less than one percent and tourism and construction relied heavily on imported labor, she said.
There were requests for a total of 130,861 workers on Phuket, she said.
''I don't expect to see significant changes,'' Khun Yaowapa added. ''There is no pressure at present for Burmese workers to return home.
''Although the cost of living on Phuket is high, most people continue to find the wages and extra benefits attractive.''
Tourism had become dependent on people from other countries because Thais were not good at English, she said, so restaurants, souvenir stalls and shops of all kinds were staffed by non-Thais.
Another source told Phuketwan that there were 45 Burmese worker camps in the Phuket City district, 50 camps in Thalang district and 10 in Kathu district.
The nationwide deadline for verification has been extended several times with the Ministry of Labor standing firm on Friday as the final deadline.
It's not clear yet when police will react but as there are estimated to be one million unregistered workers throughout Thailand, the task of arresting and deporting them would be enormous.
Andy Hall, a migrant specialist at Mahidol University's Migration Center, recently travelled to Burma to talk with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to seek her help in protecting Burmese workers in Thailand.
''There are many possible strategies and means for Thailand and neighboring countries to address irregular migration in ways that respect national, economic and human security,'' he said.
Migrant workers were often the most obvious victims of corruption in Thailand, he said.
The corruption that had been carried out in the form of shakedowns by police, labor officials and Immigration officers had shifted to brokers in charge of the verification process, Mr Hall said.
Although abuses continued, there had been there have been tangible benefits from nationality verification for migrant workers who complete the process, he said.
''Phuket still needs workers badly,'' said Khun Yaowapa.
She added that there were 7376 workers documented from other countries, with Britain, the Philippines and Australia topping the numbers.
About 30,000 illegal workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos are believed to be on Phuket, the Director of the Phuket Labor Office, Yaowapa Piboonpol said as the deadline expired on Friday.
As at November 25, there were 72,401 legal migrant workers on Phuket, more than 80 percent of them Burmese, registered by 8161 Phuket employers, she said.
Phuket had an unemployment rate of less than one percent and tourism and construction relied heavily on imported labor, she said.
There were requests for a total of 130,861 workers on Phuket, she said.
''I don't expect to see significant changes,'' Khun Yaowapa added. ''There is no pressure at present for Burmese workers to return home.
''Although the cost of living on Phuket is high, most people continue to find the wages and extra benefits attractive.''
Tourism had become dependent on people from other countries because Thais were not good at English, she said, so restaurants, souvenir stalls and shops of all kinds were staffed by non-Thais.
Another source told Phuketwan that there were 45 Burmese worker camps in the Phuket City district, 50 camps in Thalang district and 10 in Kathu district.
The nationwide deadline for verification has been extended several times with the Ministry of Labor standing firm on Friday as the final deadline.
It's not clear yet when police will react but as there are estimated to be one million unregistered workers throughout Thailand, the task of arresting and deporting them would be enormous.
Andy Hall, a migrant specialist at Mahidol University's Migration Center, recently travelled to Burma to talk with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to seek her help in protecting Burmese workers in Thailand.
''There are many possible strategies and means for Thailand and neighboring countries to address irregular migration in ways that respect national, economic and human security,'' he said.
Migrant workers were often the most obvious victims of corruption in Thailand, he said.
The corruption that had been carried out in the form of shakedowns by police, labor officials and Immigration officers had shifted to brokers in charge of the verification process, Mr Hall said.
Although abuses continued, there had been there have been tangible benefits from nationality verification for migrant workers who complete the process, he said.
''Phuket still needs workers badly,'' said Khun Yaowapa.
She added that there were 7376 workers documented from other countries, with Britain, the Philippines and Australia topping the numbers.
Oh the crakdown is definitely happening. I travel down the back road to PSU from the Anuphas Honda dealership and there is a new police checkpoint building there. I have seen the police escorting trucks filled with workers into the car park there every morning for the last two weeks.
Posted by Mr Man on December 15, 2012 13:17