Burma migrant workers urge government to protect their rights
A coalition of NGOs in
Thailand publicly called on the Burmese government to better address hardships
faced by migrant workers on December 18, International Migrants Day.
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| U San Yu Kyaw- the First Secretary and Consul of the Chiang Mai-based Myanmar Consulate-General |
Migrant workers in
Thailand—of whom there are an estimated two million from Burma—are still
experiencing many problems, according to statement released by the group. Highlighted
were issues of basic legal documentation, such as the work permit registration
procedure, which workers described as “complicated and confusing,” and the
time-consuming nationality verification process.
As a result, agents
and broker companies now undertake the procedures on behalf of migrants,
promising to process the applications more expediently and demanding high costs
compared to the actual costs set by the government.
Once migrant
workers receive these documents, employers are known to withhold their travel
documents and work permits, which is against the law.
Regarding these issues,
U San Yu Kyaw, the First Secretary and Consul of the Chiang Mai-based Myanmar Consulate-General, told the coalition that the government is focused on
migrant rights.
“For the Burmese
migrants to be legal when they work abroad, for their rights protection and
safety, we [the Myanmar Consulate] and the Myanmar government are taking concerns
seriously,” he said.
The coalition of
migrant rights protection groups also urged Burma’s government representatives to
negotiate and coordinate with the Thai government to allow all migrants
entering the country to enter legally in order to eliminate exploitation, human
trafficking and forced labor of Burma’s workers.
U San
Yu Kyaw said that the Consulate has discussed the documentation issue
with Thai government and now they are working with Naypyidaw to identify
solutions.
“We will try our
best to work for our people,” he added.
The event was
organized by the Workers Solidarity Association (WSA), the Migrant Workers
Federation (MWF), the MAP Foundation, the Human Rights and Development
Foundation (HRDF), Shan Youth Power (SYP), the Mekong Migration Network (MMN),
the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and EMPOWER.
BY SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
Tags: General, Human Rights, News
