Measures prepared to welcome back Thai workers from SKorea

BANGKOK, October 19 (TNA) - The government, through the Ministry of Labour, is preparing measures to cater for Thai workers who are returning home from South Korea. Labour Minister Police General Adul Sangsingkeo chaired a meeting of representatives of relevant parties, including those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Royal Thai Police, the Immigration Bureau and the South Korean Consulate in Bangkok, at his ministry in the capital on Friday to discuss their cooperation and integrated measures to prevent and solve the problems of Thai nationals having been lured or having travelled to South Korea to work as illegal workers there. Police General Adul said the move was in response to a new measure announced recently by Seoul that the South Korean government will strictly ban a 10-year entry of each of foreigners who is found illegally entering into the East Asian nation, after an ongoing compromising period, set from October 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, ends; while official statistics indicated that there are now more than 120,000 illegal Thai workers in South Korea, out of a total of 180,000 Thai workers in the East Asian nation. According to the minister, official measures are, thus, prepared to welcome back the Thai workers from South Korea, including finding jobs for them, more than 45,000 of which are in such other foreign markets as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, the Middle East and Europe, while the rest are provided at domestic businesses. Besides, training vocational programs will be organized for the Thai workers who return home from South Korea and a request for an increased quota for Thai nationals who can work legally in the East Asian nation under the Employment Permit System (EPS) to 15,000 persons, from 5,000 persons currently, with the higher number of female workers, as well as a request for an extended period of Thai nationals who can work legally in South Korea to 14 years, from 9 years eight months currently and for an extended age limit of Thai workers in the East Asian country to 45 years old, from 39 years old currently. The minister revealed that vigilant cyber teams will also be set up charged with detecting and cracking down private employment agents who lure Thai nationals to work illegally in South Korea, while similar teams will also be set up at international Thai airports. Meanwhile, the Thai Travel Agents Association claimed that the business of its tour agent members has been affected by the illegal entry to South Korea by Thai workers, as more than 100 Thai tourists have been denied the entry to the East Asian nation monthly lately, due to the misunderstanding and stricter screening of South Korean immigration authorities, calling for an official solution to the problem. (TNA)