Thailand, Myanmar to revise labor MOU

BANGKOK, October 2 (TNA) - Thailand and Myanmar will soon discuss the revision of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Myanmar migrant workers, aimed to speed up the neighbouring country's paperwork process to allow Myanmar nationals to quickly return to work in Thailand. Pravit Khiengpol, Director-General of the Thai Ministry of Labour's Department of Employment, told journalists on Wednesday that he will visit Myanmar on October 11 to convince Myanmar authorities to speed up the process so that Myanmar workers who work in Thailand for four years, as permitted by their visas, can undergo quick paperwork in Myanmar and return to their work in Thailand right away without having to wait for the present paperwork process in Myanmar, which takes up to one month. Pravit said that he will also ask the Myanmar government to send its officials to four centers in Thailand, including those in Tak, Chiang Rai, Ranong and Kanchanaburi provinces, to issue civil status documents for Myanmar workers who have passports, while Myanmar workers who illegally migrated to Thailand are to return to Myanmar for their paperwork and the Thai government will import them, through government-to-government deals, when there is domestic demand for more migrant workers. According to the senior Thai official, as the Cambodian and Lao governments have not sent their officials to issue civil status documents in Thailand and Thai business operators still need their workers, the Thai government will issue one-year work permits for them and gradually extend the permits until employers stop hiring the workers. (TNA)