Illegal labour problem becoming more complicated, difficult to control: ACT

[snoop1130]

Illegal labour problem becoming more complicated, difficult to control: ACT

By The Nation

 

ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol

 

After news that Covid-19 has spread because of gambling dens and illegal migrant workers with links to gray businesses and bribery, the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) pointed out nine issues, warning that the problem is getting out of control.

 

ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol emphasised that the illegal labour problem is like a drug war which cannot be solved due to bribes and benefits, and the problem is getting more complicated and difficult to control.

 

He said illegal workers who secretly entered Thailand by land and sea are Burmese, Cambodian, Lao, Chinese, Bangladeshis, Rohingya, Indonesian and Malaysian. Many of these people are linked to foreign human trafficking and illegal labour gangs who move them to different areas of Thailand.

 

Pointing to an ACT study, Mana highlighted nine interesting pieces of information:

 

1. One of the illegal migrant worker groups entering the country by sea are refugees. A clear example is the Rohingya human trafficking case in 2016. These refugees viewed Thailand as a destination or a transit area.

 

The other group is people who seek work, and they are often found in the fishing industry. They arrive at Ranong, all the way from Malaysia, since travelling by boat requires a large number of people at a time. Therefore, it is believed that there must be management agents in the country of origin as well as in Thailand.

 

2. As for workers coming into the country by land, , most crossed through immigration checkpoints and possessed legal documents. A minority of them illegally entered through forests or crossed canals. This group is divided into two.

 

The first group crossed the border with assistance from local networks through acquaintances or relatives and normally stayed in villages along the border for two days. They later took a bus to the bus station in a big city before migrating to their destinations.

 

The second group entered in a cluster under contract with trafficking agents. Their place of rest or destination of work is unclear.

 

3. According to Labour Department statistics, as of November 2020, some 2.08 million Burmese, Cambodians, Vietnamese and Laotians registered to work, while outsiders estimate there are as many as 2 million illegal workers in the country.

 

4. Illegal immigrant workers pay Bt8,000 to Bt15,000 per head to “recruiters” to transport them to their destinations.

 

5. Hundreds of Thais fleeing drug cases have lived in Myanmar’s Tachilek district. These people also run different networks. It is said some of them are involved in transporting illegal labourers into Thailand by linking up with local networks in the kingdom.

 

6. Bribery is still prevalent according to information on the Internet, news reports, complaints and studies.

 

However, dealing in lottery, gambling, brothels and the drug trade are clearly seen as sources of bribery. Human trafficking is another major source.

 

7. The United States TIP Report 2020 states that applications for a work permit in Thailand are highly procedural, costly and very restrictive. The relevant documents are burdensome and cumbersome.

 

Mana said this reflects bureaucratic deficiency and government policies against real labour requirements of businesses, industries and services, and has become a key factor in the problem of illegal labour and human trafficking.

 

8. The TIP Report 2020 also indicates that Thailand has made efforts to resolve human trafficking but is still not meeting international standards. The report stated that “corruption and involvement of government officials have made the problem persist and it is an obstacle to cooperation from public organisations”.

 

9. Foreign workers, whether legal or illegal, still continue to face small bribe demands from government agents when renewing their insurance or work permits, etc.

 

“Corruption is a matter of the giver and the recipient benefiting, but it’s the nation that loses,” Mana said.

 

He suggested long-term solutions, including that the government should revise laws that are obsolete or hasten laws out of necessity in accordance with the Regulatory Guillotine programme, while government services must be reorganised.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400913

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2021-01-08

 

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[Thaiwrath]

8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

“Corruption is a matter of the giver and the recipient benefiting, but it’s the nation that loses,”

It makes it 10 times harder to eradicate when the recipients are the people running the nation !

[PatOngo]

While ever there is corruption, it will never be controlled! Greed over rides all!

[madmitch]

I doubt it's more complicated and difficult to control, it's just that the current Covid situation has forced the issue into the limelight and the Government to admit that illegal workers and the people helping them do actually exist.

[dddave]

19 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

It makes it 10 times harder to eradicate when the recipients are the people running the nation !

You mean like: "There are no gambling dens operating in Bangkok!"

                           "Your winnings, sir"

                           "Oh!..Korb khun krap"*

 

* Paraphrase of one of the best scenes in movie history: "Casablanca"

[Tarteso]

50 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

laws that are obsolete

Right.

51 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Guillotine programme,

No, please, not in Thailand

[djayz]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

difficult to control

Where there's a will, there's a way. 

Only difficult to control coz it's big bu$ine$$.

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

9. Foreign workers, whether legal or illegal, still continue to face small bribe demands from government agents when renewing their insurance or work permits, etc.

 

“Corruption is a matter of the giver and the recipient benefiting, but it’s the nation that loses,” Mana said.

I want to know how I benefitted from having to pay a bribe at Samut Prakarn Immigration for a simple visa extension when all the paperwork was in order?

[Dumbastheycome]

So is the ACT admitting that their  purpose is thwarted  by the  greater investment interests of their appointees?

If  legal immigration  labor is  important then that  can be accepted. But when illegal, covert illegal  labor  is considered an unapproachable/unsolvable issue then there is obviously something  seriously wrong !

 

[spidermike007]

Totally silly reply. Covering his tracks. The Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) is one of the most feeble and ineffective of all the tools Prayuth has used to deceive the people into believing that he is fighting corruption. Who was the last high level authority, in the police, immigration, the army, or the active administration they arrested, charged, tried convicted, and sent to prison? Nobody. Zero. Nunca. Nada.

 

Why? Because Prayuth has had a mandate from the beginning to do the very opposite. To protect the elite, the super wealthy who are guilty, those that are connected, and those who are in power. Just think Dark Tao. Just think Red Bull. The list goes on, and on, and on. Only the most naive amongst us believe he or ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol are sincere about this. 

 

[Bender Rodriguez]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

After news that Covid-19 has spread because of gambling dens and illegal migrant workers with links to gray businesses and bribery, the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) pointed out nine issues, warning that the problem is getting out of control.

 

now tell US that does not smudge the image of thailand 

[Cake Monster]

17 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

It makes it 10 times harder to eradicate when the recipients are the people running the nation !

The entire statement reads as " Its out of Control, we are unable to do anything about it due to Internal Pressure placed upon us "

[unblocktheplanet]

Not to mention, govt wants illegals to PAY B9,180 to get them into the labour system! Not going to happen. Govt should be footing the bill.