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During the remainder of the three-day visit, labour ministers of both countries signed two agreements and one memorandum of understanding, covering employment, labour cooperation and border crossing, in her presence and that of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The so-called MoU system of employment was developed with intermediate brokers and job agencies on both sides of the border. The signing of the employment agreement is intended to improve the system whereby workers are supplied to the Thai labour markets. Rights groups have long criticised this system as allowing agencies and brokers to exploit workers, while loopholes leave labourers vulnerable to abuse and human trafficking. U Kyaw Thaung, director of the Myanmar Association in Thailand (MAT), said the Myanmar government should take a closer look at job agencies and brokers. “Unless they are supervised under strict rules, they will continue to exploit the workers and, in some cases, will continue to engage in human trafficking,” he said. To reduce exploitation of the MoU system and the workers, the Thai government has banned employers from dealing with brokers, whereas the Myanmar government has yet to do so. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, during his joint press conference with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, said Myanmar migrant workers enjoyed the same basic rights, welfare and protections as Thai nationals, and had access to basic education and healthcare. “On the protection and the promotion of the basic rights of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand, we both agreed that the Thai private sector and Myanmar migrant workers are highly interdependent. So far, the Thai government has made the utmost effort to take good care of Myanmar migrant workers,” he said. However, rights groups said the PM’s comment was not totally correct, with corruption deep-rooted in the workplace as well as in related arenas where workers have to deal with Thai authorities. For instance, Myanmar citizens who are working in Mahachai said they had to pay more than the official rate when they applied for so-called pink cards, which are issued to undocumented migrant workers in Thailand. They are valid for two years, renewable for two years more. “The actual price is just about 5000 baht. Brokers demand 12,000 baht and we have to pay it, or get fired,” said Ko Han Win Kyi, a worker from Magwe Region’s Aunglan township. During the state counsellor’s visit to Mahachai, The Myanmar Times spoke to several Myanmar migrant workers who had come to see her but were not allowed to. Most said the Thai rules were not fair, and that even pink-card holders were subject to arrest. Under Thai law, pink-card holders cannot leave their area of employment. This rule also applies to workers who are employed by the so-called MoU system. Nor do cardholders have access to social welfare or health insurance. Thai authorities started issuing the cards after meeting with their counterparts last February. The system was supposed to give Myanmar migrant workers with temporary documents time to go home and return with their legal documents. “Myanmar workers’ knowledge of Thai law is very low. Some of the so-called rights groups and individuals have also created misunderstanding,” said U Sein Htay, country director of the Migrant Workers Rights Network. “And there are certainly corrupt officials and police who take advantage of that lack of knowledge,” he added. When renewing their card or work permit, workers are asked to provide their employers’ identity and their employment status. Workers say some employers charge them a fee for this document. “There are Thai and Myanmar brokers. Some employers ask for about 1500 baht from the workers for the verification document,” said Ma Khin Yuu, a Palaw township resident from Tanintharyi Region who is working in Mahachai. “A friend told me their employer said they must apply for the pink card via a broker, or he would take no responsibility if anything happened,” she said. The pink cards also leave workers vulnerable to arrest by police and deportation, as they are not “official” IDs or work visas, according to numerous accounts by rights groups and workers. The next step is citizenship verification. In the past, camps were opened in Thai border towns where undocumented migrant workers had their Myanmar citizenship verified, and were handed a temporary passport. The Myanmar foreign ministry yesterday announced that the government would soon introduce a certificate of identity to Myanmar migrant workers with temporary passports whose visa term was less than two years. After their citizenship is verified, applicants receive passport that grants them access to social security, health insurance and well-being. In addition to Tachileik-Mae Sai, Myawaddy-Mae Sot, and Kawthoung-Ranaung, the border gate connecting the Myanmar town of Tiki and Ban Nam Pu Ron in Kanchanaburi in Thailand will soon be opened. A worker with the right documents can cross the border and work for 30 days at a time. The previous allowance for border crossing was one week, and it was widely used as a transit for the workers who wanted to work in Thailand beyond the border area, but illegally. The two governments are planning to establish a One-Stop Service Centre for migrant workers in 10 provinces in Thailand and a Pre-arrival and Pre-departure Orientation Centre in Mae Sot, Tak province, the Thai and Myanmar leaders said. “Migrant workers will get legal protection and other benefits to the full extent under the employment agreement. They will also receive work-related education and training,” said the foreign ministry statement. U Sein Htay said the Pre-arrival and Pre-departure Orientation Centre in Mae Sot would serve Myanmar migrant workers both arriving in Thailand and leaving the country. “Before they come to Thailand, they should understand what to expect, including the rules and regulations. The centre will check if they have their full benefits or not. If not, then the centre will help them claim those rights from their employers,” said U Sein Htay. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said her government would help with visa issues as much as possible, in accordance with Thai rules. She also promised that Myanmar would meet its responsibilities to Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. Ko Nyi Nyi Lwin, a migrant worker in Bangkok who visited to Mahachai to see the state counsellor but was not allowed to sit in on her speech, said he believed that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would take care of the Myanmar citizens in Thailand. “I believe Amay Suu will bring changes to our lives because I know she will not ignore us,” he said, using a nickname for the state counsellor. The foreign ministry’s statement said, “The Myanmar Embassy in Thailand shall increase cooperation and coordination to work together with the Thai authorities, rights groups based in Thailand for uplifting Myanmar migrant workers and their families, as well as Myanmar citizens in Thai prisons.” More than 20 Thai officials were sacked after the state counsellor’s visit to Thailand, including six officials from Samut Sakhon province, where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited. However, Prawit Wongsuwan, deputy prime minister of Thailand who is currently visiting Myanmar, has reportedly said that the dismissals were unrelated to the state counsellor’s visit.
Keywords
labour minister, Thailand, labour market,exploitation, human trafficking, Myanmar government, job agency, rights, welfare, healthcare,
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