Sunday 13 January 2013

Bangkok Post: Thailand to deport 400 Rohingya migrants after raid

The Bangkok Post reports:
Around 400 Rohingya migrants discovered in a raid on a camp hidden in a remote rubber plantation in southern Thailand will be deported back to Myanmar, Thai police said on Friday.

AsiaOne: Thousands of Myanmar workers trapped in border town

AsiaOne News reports
MYAWADY, Myanmar - Thousands of Myanmar migrant workers are trapped and living in miserable conditions in Myawady, Myanmar's border town with Thailand, sources said.
They said these workers were recruited by illegal job agencies and have no proper work visas. There are more than 40 legal job agencies operating in Myawady but the illegal ones reportedly recruit workers from across Myanmar, according to an official from a newly opened agency in the border town.

Thursday 10 January 2013

DVB: Burmese migrants lose jobs after Thai wage hike

DVB reports on recent claims that factories in Tak Province recently closed down due to the increase in the minimum wage.  What would be helpful to know is if these factories were actually paying the legal minimum wage previously, which I doubt.  Since so few factories in Mae Sot pay the minimum wage anyways, it's not clear why the recent increase would make much difference to employers.  
Thousands of Burmese migrants face unemployment after new minimum wage requirements imposed by the Thai government earlier this month forced several factories and workshops to close down.

Many businesses, who employ cheap labour from neighbouring Burma, Cambodia and Laos, cannot afford to pay their workers the 300 Baht (USD$10) daily wage required by law since 1 January.

According to Thai media, dozens of factories have been closed, including some eight garments, electronics and ceramic producers based in Tak province near the Burmese border. Thousands of jobs are estimated to have been lost.