Rumours Force Many Cambodian Workers Leave For Home

[waerth]

Seems Thailand will face an extreme labour shortage. Burmese at my apartment building have also mostly left.

 

Richard Barrow â€@RichardBarrow 1h

37,000 Cambodian migrant workers went back home yesterday. More expected to leave today (Pic @aodbu) pic.twitter.com/mSX9Zxvjfh #Thailand

 

Richard Barrow â€@RichardBarrow 1h

This morning on the Thai-Cambodian border. 60,000 migrants have crossed so far. @IOMasiapacific providing transport pic.twitter.com/FLTDtGWWa1

 

Richard Barrow â€@RichardBarrow 1h

At this rate, there won't be anyone left in the construction & service industry in #Thailand. Most low paid jobs are done by migrant workers

 

Richard Barrow â€@RichardBarrow 45m

RT @jockywilson10: Now know 3 local eateries in #Bangkok outskirts where migrant staff have not turned up over the last couple of days

 

http://www.mcot.net/site/content?id=539acdd0be0470da3b8b457f#.U5v0XihqM6-

 

SA KAEO, June 13 -- Many Cambodian workers in Thailand have already left for home while more than 10,000 others are preparing to return for fear of being arrested by the Thai authorities following persisting rumours that the Thai military is preparing to launch a massive crackdown on illegal migrants.

 

Thai border officials said many Cambodian workers had returned home by train and bus during the past few days out of concern that the Thai military is preparing to suppress illegal migrant workers in Thailand.

 

The Cambodian government has provided more than 20 military trucks and over 10 buses to pick up more than 10,000 Cambodian workers now stranded at the border checkpoint in the Cambodian border town of Poi Pet, opposite Aranyaprathet district.

 

Pol Lt Col Benjapol Rodsawat, deputy chief of Sa Kaeo immigration police, said local Thai officials had tried to explain to Cambodian workers that they should not be afraid if they work in Thailand legally, saying that the key border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet would never be closed.

 

Pravit Khiengpol, director-general of Thai Labour Ministry’s Employment Department, said that a number of Thai enterprises would suffer a shortage of workers following the returning home of the Cambodian workers.

 

Official statistics show that a total of 441,569 Cambodian workers have registered with the Employment Department.

 

Many of them have already left for home in response to the rumours. (MCOT online news)

[cavanami]

There are still 300,000 Burma workers in Samut Sakhon...and they make a decent wage!

[waerth]

Thai authorities detain undocumented Myanmar workers

 

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6452:thai-authorities-detain-undocumented-myanmar-workers&catid=44:national&Itemid=384

 

The Thai authorities have cracked down on undocumented migrant workers, particularly those from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, according to Joint Committee for Movement of Myanmar Citizens Affairs based in Thailand.

The crackdown started on Thursday in the wake of the Thai coup. Some 1,000 Myanmar workers in Tak’s nine districts, including Mae Sot, were under detention.

 

Myanmar migrants living in major cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai have been keeping low profile for fear of being rounded up by the authorities.

“Some have been in hiding near forests and farms. In cities, they stay in locked apartments without making noise,†said Moe Gyo, chairperson of the joint committee.

 

On June 3, about 164 Myanmar migrants were arrested in Mae Sot in the morning and other 200 were rounded up in the evening.

About four million Myanmar migrants are working in Thailand and half are undocumented workers.

Under the Thai immigration law, the authori

[cavanami]

The Thai Immi office here in Samut Sakhon has stacks of Myanmar passports that they issue visa, etc everyday. The fish

factories have a need for the Myanmar workers and the workers live well.

[waerth]

Thailand needs these Cambodians as well. But something has scared them.