PHUKET: Living on Phuket is so expensive that 500 baht a day would probably be more appropriate than the 300 baht minimum wage proposed for introduction from April 1, the Senate Committee on Labor was told yesterday.
And the committee rekindled a longstanding Phuket mystery: If Burmese workers come to Phuket as families, and if their children are forbidden from attending Thai schools, where do they go during the day?
Members of the committee cited an interest in human rights and wanted to know how Phuket cared for immigrants and coped with associated social stability, crime, education and health.
Committee members said that while there was a complex schools system for illegal Burmese children in Ranong, a province north of Phuket, there appeared to be no underground education network on Phuket.
Questions about other aspects of the treatment of Burmese on Phuket largely remained unanswered, although it's well-known that Burmese are treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket City, where temporary beds are often placed in elevator foyers when conditions become crowded.
It was a surprise to have the committee ask about the Rohingya - at least one boatload arrived on Phuket earlier this year and other boatloads continue to arrive along the coast, both to the north and south of Phuket.
A Phuket police representative told the committee that Rohingya were not a Phuket issue because they were usually heading for Malaysia or Indonesia.
On the issue of the minimum wage, the committee heard that Phuket had almost full employment, with the official unemployment rate just 0.5 percent.
But with a motorcycle taxi ride to work likely to cost 50 baht each way, plus accommodation and meals, even 400 baht or 500 baht a day could sometimes seem inadequate on Phuket, the committee was told.
What Phuket needed most was skilled labor in the tourism sector, the committee was told.
A minimum wage might help people with low education in Thailand's agricultural regions but it would not have much application on Phuket, the committee heard.
About 60,000 Burmese were currently registered to work legally on Phuket. The committee expressed concern about the children of Burmese, born on Phuket.
And the committee rekindled a longstanding Phuket mystery: If Burmese workers come to Phuket as families, and if their children are forbidden from attending Thai schools, where do they go during the day?
Members of the committee cited an interest in human rights and wanted to know how Phuket cared for immigrants and coped with associated social stability, crime, education and health.
Committee members said that while there was a complex schools system for illegal Burmese children in Ranong, a province north of Phuket, there appeared to be no underground education network on Phuket.
Questions about other aspects of the treatment of Burmese on Phuket largely remained unanswered, although it's well-known that Burmese are treated at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket City, where temporary beds are often placed in elevator foyers when conditions become crowded.
It was a surprise to have the committee ask about the Rohingya - at least one boatload arrived on Phuket earlier this year and other boatloads continue to arrive along the coast, both to the north and south of Phuket.
A Phuket police representative told the committee that Rohingya were not a Phuket issue because they were usually heading for Malaysia or Indonesia.
On the issue of the minimum wage, the committee heard that Phuket had almost full employment, with the official unemployment rate just 0.5 percent.
But with a motorcycle taxi ride to work likely to cost 50 baht each way, plus accommodation and meals, even 400 baht or 500 baht a day could sometimes seem inadequate on Phuket, the committee was told.
What Phuket needed most was skilled labor in the tourism sector, the committee was told.
A minimum wage might help people with low education in Thailand's agricultural regions but it would not have much application on Phuket, the committee heard.
About 60,000 Burmese were currently registered to work legally on Phuket. The committee expressed concern about the children of Burmese, born on Phuket.
This i do agree with. I put up with the high prices on Phuket for 6 years and now moved to Chiang Mai..Apart from much nicer people here the cost of accommodation, public transport and fresh food , both cooked and fresh is way, way lower than Phuket.They really do need at least 500 baht daily to live reasonably there.In the time i was there costs have continually risen and the average wage has not. Shameful IMO!!!
Posted by davidj949 on December 10, 2011 15:34