Legal Cambodian migrants in Thailand to get back passports

BANGKOK, February 20 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Labour will return passports to a total of 236,000 Cambodian migrant workers next month, after they pass a nationality verification process early next month. Labour Ministry Spokesman Ananchai Uthaipattanacheep, who is also the ministry's Inspector-General, told journalists on Monday that Thai Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul has already discussed the issue on handing the passports back to the legally-registered Cambodian migrant workers with the Cambodian side and a joint task force on the issue has been set up since February 6. The spokesman said for 173 Thai firms each employing over 80 Cambodian migrant workers, Labour Ministry officials will hand back passports to the migrant workers at their firms with a total fee of 1,550 baht for each passport, covering a 100 baht-fee on a two-year work permit, a 500 baht-immigration fee and a 950 baht passport issuance fee, after the Cambodian government has approved the namelists of the registered-Cambodian migrant workers of each firm about seven days prior to the return of passports. For Thai firms each employing less than 80 Cambodian migrant workers, six centres will be set up for them to get back their passports, including those in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Rayong, Pathum Thani, Chachoengsao, and Samut Prakarn Provinces. According to the spokesman, the centres will be opened six days a week, closed only on Fridays, with Cambodian workers required to pay the same total fee as the first group while getting back their passports, starting from the third week of next month. The spokesman announced that a new round of nationality verification process for another over 430,000 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand will be launched in June 2017. (TNA)