On May 26, 2022, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin, the Department of Employment’s Director-General, Mr. Pairoj Chotiksetian, and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare’s Director-General Mr. Niyom Songkaew, visited the operations of the Port In-Port Out (PIPO) Control Center in Ranong Province. Deputy Governor of Ranong Province, Mr. Nopsit Udomsuwankul, welcomed the team at the Ranong Fisheries Checkpoint. They visited the center for the consideration of permission to stay in the Kingdom, permission to work, and the issuance of a certificate of identity (CI) in Ranong Province, to observe the service process and follow up on the work of the government officials within the center.
Mr. Suchart said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, is focused on driving policies to prevent and solve human trafficking problems in labour, including the systematic management of migrant workers to resolve labour shortages. Today, the Labour Minister, along with the Department of Employment’s and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare’s Director-Generals, therefore, visited the area to observe the operations of the PIPO Center and the CI Center to drive the policy of the said government into effect, to solve the labour shortage and the influx of workers smuggled into Thailand after the country’s opening. The Ministry of Labour has always adhered to the policies as a working guideline. For today, apart from the visit to monitor and give advice on the performance of duties for the Ministry of Labour’s government officials, the team also paid a visit to listen to entrepreneurs’ problems and clarify the understanding of employers who employ migrant workers to ensure compliance with the guidelines on importing foreign workers according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on labour cooperation, ensuring correct implementation according to the steps set out in the Cabinet’s Resolution.
Mr. Suchart continued that Ranong has 34,111 licensed migrant workers working in the area. Two thousand two hundred thirty-four have applied to bring Myanmar nationals to work in the country according to the MOU through Rayong, and 222 migrants have been imported under the MOU’s adjusted measures, comprising 212 men and ten women. The workers include 192 in construction and 30 in agricultural continuation. Five OQ detention centers have been set up to accommodate migrant workers who come to work under the MOU and Article 64, supporting up to 930 migrant workers at a time. The CI Center has issued 40,387 documents, with ten work permits approved and 33,884 changes made.
The Port In-Port Out (PIPO) Control Center in Ranong has made 4,418 entry and exit reports, comprising 22,017 people, including 3,912 Thais and 18,105 migrant workers. A total of 22,050 workers were reported for exiting, comprising 3,828 Thais and 18,222 migrant workers.
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Division of Public Relations
26 May 2022
