Thailand's government has extended until the end of March the deadline for migrant workers—most of whom are Burmese—to complete the “national verification” procedure in order to qualify for work permits.

The previous deadline was March 2, but the Thai Ministry of Labor's Employment Department said about 850,000 of the country's 1.3 migrant workers had applied by that date for registration. About 20 percent of them had not yet completed the process, the department said.

The department's deputy director, Supat Guukhun, appealed to employers to help their workers receive “national verification”—a procedure that requires Burmese migrants to apply personally at offices within Burma.

Many migrants are reluctant to return to Burma to complete the paperwork there, fearing consequences for themselves and their families. A total of 101, 834 persons migrants had so far received permission to return to their home countries to complete the “national verification” process, according to the employment department.

Supat warned that migrants who failed to complete the “national verification” process by March 31 would be unable to work legally in Thailand. In a phone  interview with The Irrawaddy, he assured migrant workers that the Thai government wanted to protect their livelihoods and protect them against exploitation.

Those who fail to meet the deadline will be classified by the Thai authorities as illegal migrants who risk arrest and deportation.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17950

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