Registration centres ready for illegal migrant workers

BANGKOK, July 19 (TNA) -- The labour minister assures that registration centres will be ready for employers to document their illegal migrant workers from July 24 to Aug 7 and the process of employees’ nationality verification will follow. Labour Minister Sirichai Distakul said 11 such centers were already opened in Bangkok. Each center is manned with 30 officials and should handle 2,000 cases a day. Governors of other provinces were already assigned to open registration centers in their respective provinces. They reported that their centers would be opened before July 24, the labour minister said. He expected that more than 100 registration centers nationwide could document about 1.5 million migrant workers. Employers will present application forms, photographs of workers, and the copies of employers’ ID cards or their company registration. The documents can also be filed online via www.doe.go.th. In 30 days officials will call them to prove their employment. Later employees’ nationality will be verified and they will receive visas and work permits, according to Gen Sirichai. After the registration ends on Aug 7, the Labour Ministry will report the number of migrant workers to authorities of their native countries so that the authorities can prepare the nationality verification process, the minister said. (TNA)