Crowds of Myanmar workers seek last-day nationality verification

BANGKOK, December 14 (TNA) - Packed crowds of Myanmar workers sought an official nationality verification service on the last day on December 14, after which illegal migrant workers from neighbouring countries will be deported to their home countries. The crowds of Myanmar workers showed up for the nationality verification in Bangkok's suburban Samut Sakhon province, where, according to the provincial head of the nationality verification service, 71,354 Myanmar workers had their nationality officially-verified from April 23-December 12, 2012, 40,566 of whom worked in Samut Sakhon. The number of Myanmar migrant workers seeking the service had only risen remarkably over the past few days, prompting officials concerned to, thus, work until 2am Friday morning. The migrant workers were earlier slow to seek the nationality verification service because most of them had not enough money. Meanwhile, Thai Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap said it is unlikely that the official nationality verification period will be extended although the Board of Trade of Thailand is seeking Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's approval for the extension, as the service had been extended twice and five more nationality verification centers had been opened but operators were not keen to bring their migrant employees to the verification process. Padermchai confirmed that the Thai government will repatriate the alien workers whose nationalities have not been verified as of December 15, 2012, noting that local employers who need more migrant workers will have to seek their employment quota from his ministry's Department of Employment. According to the Thai labour minister, the official nationality verification was a measure to stop problems related to illegal workers, child labour and human trafficking and to offer legal protection to alien workers in Thailand. (TNA)