Migrant workers in Thailand warned to have work permits by June 30

BANGKOK, June 18 (TNA) - The Thai government has warned migrant workers in the country to have their nationalities verified and their work permits legally-approved by the end of this month in order to avoid a strict law enforcement. Government Spokesman Lieutenant General Sansern Kaewkamnerd voiced the warning on June 17, saying that Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has been reported on progress of the nationality verification of migrant workers so far, in which the work for all Myanmar migrant workers alone has been completed. "The prime minister thanked the Myanmar government and employers of all Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand for having the nationality verification of their workers completed before the schedule and asked for cooperation from Cambodian and Lao authorities and employers to have the nationalities of their migrant workers verified and all migrant workers from neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR to have their work permits legally approved by the June 30-dateline to avoid tough legal action", the spokesman stated. According to the spokesman, 22,770 Cambodian and 5,614 Lao migrant workers in Thailand have not had their nationalities verified and about 59,000 Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar have not yet reported to the Thai government's one stop service centers (OSSCs) in their respecitve areas to seek for the legal approval and issuance of their work permits. The spokesman stressed that the Thai government has no policy on further extending the June 30-dateline for all the procedures of Myanmar, Cambodian and Lao migrant workers to be completed, cautioning that as of July 1, tough legal action will be launched on both migrant workers and their employers who are found failing to meet the legal dateline. The spokesman announced that migrant workers who are found failing to meet the June 30-dateline will be each fined 5,000-50,000 baht and will be sent back to their home countries and will be prohibited from applying for work permits in Thailand for two years even though they will legally seek to work in the Thai Kingdom under a memorandum of understanding (MOUs) their governments have signed with the Thai government, while employers who are found failing to meet the same dateline will be fined 10,000-100,000 per migrant worker and will face a jail term of the maximum of one year, or a higher fine of 50,000-200,000 baht or both, along with a three-year ban against hiring migrant workers if they are found to have been repeatedly against the regulation. (TNA)