Labour Minister Condemns Corruption

           Today (25 September 2017), Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul spoke about the facilitation of work permit issuance for Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian migrant workers illegally employed in Thailand during the grace period which lasts until 31 December 2017. He spoke about agreements with the different countries, particularly Myanmar in processing the citizenship verification in Thailand in order to issue a Certificate of Identity (CI) so that workers do not have to travel to their origin country. Myanmar nationals can proceed with the process at 9 centers; 1 in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Nakhon Sawan, Samut Prakarn, Rayong, Songkhla and 2 centers in Samut Sakhon. Additionally, One Stop Service centers have been established nearby the citizenship verification posts which include an immigration office, medical examination and health insurance services by the Ministry of Public Health and work permit issuance by the Department of Employment. He spoke about rumours surrounding middlemen and agents claiming to facilitate faster services in exchange for a service fee which has led to suspicion about corruption surrounding the process. The Labour Minister has thus urged the Department of Employment’s Director-General to penalize any official or officer proved to be in wrongdoing.
          The Department of Employment’s Director-General added that Myanmar was currently in process of finalizing all 9 One Stop Services which will be able to service 800 people/center and it is forecasted to complete all citizenship verification and work permit issuances within 31 December 2017 as planned. The Ministry of Labour has also asked for employer and employee collaboration in completing all processes during this period and confirmed that the Ministry of Labour’s officers and officials are corrupt-free; any leads can be reported to the NCPO’s Anti-Corruption Center or the Ministry of Labour’s report center by calling 0 2232 1467.