The Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General spoke about the report on implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) for Thailand on 13-14 of March, where the Permanent Secretary of Labour’s assistant Mr. Wiwat Tanghong and committee represented the ministry in providing a verbal report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mr. Wiwat reported that in 2017, Thailand has 1.3 million foreign workers who have gone through the nationality verification process and received legal work documents, whereas the total number of registered Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian workers holding pink card and exempt to remain in Thailand for a certain period or until return, has reached 1.4 million. He advised that both groups of foreign workers had received occupational protection equivalent to Thai nationals. As for workers without identification documents issued by origin countries are still unable to apply for social security, but will receive health treatment in accordance with the Ministry of Public Health’s regulations, whereas foreign workers with the necessary documents will have access to the same standard of social protection as Thai workers. He added that since 2016, the Thai government has permitted foreign workers with pink cards to return home to be with family during the Thai New Years festivities, and then return into the Kingdom. This year, the government will permit the same rights, allowing the workers to return home for 20 days during April.
The Ministry of Labour’s representatives presented preventative measures and solutions to human trafficking in the fishing industry which included the drafting of the Work of Alien Act, ministerial regulations on vessel conditions, issuance of sea books to vessel workers and compliance with the Royal Ordinance on Fisheries B.E. 2558. The representatives also presented information on assistance channels and efforts made by the Thai government on negotiating with original countries in arrangement of migrating workers through government-to-government systems.
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Bureau of Public Relations – News /
Bureau of International Cooperation – Information/
16 March 2017
