A regional advocacy group has called for urgent reforms to protect migrant workers in Thailand, citing a rise in xenophobia and “disposable” labor practices.
On International Migrants Day, the Mekong Migration Network (MMN) urged officials to scrap policies that treat foreign laborers as temporary, despite their decades of contribution to the Thai economy.
The group stressed that millions of workers remain unprotected due to complex legal hurdles and exclusion from social security.
Furthermore, it said that the path to legal status is expensive, as many migrants struggle with costly and complex paperwork.
For instance, in Hat Yai, recent floods have destroyed the identification documents of local migrants. Without these papers, workers face arrest or deportation.
In addition, some migrants take out loans to pay for registration. Many are still paying off debts from the previous year when the next round of fees is due.
Workers have also alleged that employers withhold wages and force them to sign false resignation papers. When these workers lose their jobs, their work permits are often canceled without their knowledge.
According to the MMN, this leaves families in a terrifying position, stuck in Thailand without an income or legal standing.
Recently, the government has permitted long-standing displaced persons along the Thai-Myanmar border to seek employment outside the resettlement areas.
