Immigrant Labour

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

Date: 27 Apr 1997 
The Nation 
Immigrant Labour 
HARD WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT 
The number of illegal immigrants in the country is unprecedented, having risen 
from an estimated 200,000 in 1994 to last year's 700,000 which has begun to 
pose problems for the government. But Thailand is not the only country to face 
these difficulties. Around the world, developing and developed countries are 
also dealing with the strains that the influx of foreign labour has put on 
their resources. For the Thai economy, however, immigrant labourers are now 
indispensable, they take the jobs that the local workforce shuns. Uneasy about 
living with illegal immigrants, the Thai government can no longer live without 
them, writes Maliwan Yongyuth. 

When his brother came home to Rangoon for a holiday, Lui listened to his 
stories about living and working in Thailand. ''There is no oppression there, 
you'll find work easily and you'll get paid more than you do here," said Lui's 
brother, who had married a Thai girl, settled down and started a family. To 
Lui, who had been too poor to continue his studies in physics, Thailand 
sounded like paradise. 

But for Lui, the gates of heaven did not open so easily. The first time he 
tried to cross the border at the Mae Sod he was arrested and sent back. The 
second time though, the officers were not so strict, and Lui found himself in 
Thailand. 

But life was more difficult than he expected. Homesick, not speaking the 
language, he soon wanted to return home, but he was earning only Bt60 a day 
laying floor tiles and didn't have enough money. 

Instead, he stayed on in Thailand, working alongside his Thai counterparts, 
sometimes at good jobs and sometimes not so good. In terms of wages, Lui was 
lucky. He was paid the same as Thai workers, sometimes more. ''It depends on 
the skills needed," he said proudly. At the mercy of unscrupulous employers, 
however, now and then he wouldn't get paid at all and once was cheated out of 
as much as Bt7,000. 

Thai workers face the same problems in their working environment, but when 
they are cheated out of their wages, they have legal recourse. Lui does not. 
When he has been ill, he has shunned medical help. When he has needed guidance 
or help, he has never approached a government agency. 

Lui is an illegal immigrant working in Thailand. Fearful of being arrested and 
deported to Burma, he avoids drawing attention to himself. Besides, he has no 
protection under the law nor access to social services. 

In Thailand, the influx of foreign workers is not new. Nearly 400 years ago, 
when King Narai ascended the throne, his kingdom of Ayutthaya was packed with 
Chinese, Japanese and Europeans engaged in thriving commercial activities. 

More recently, in the 1980s, Southeast Asia exported labour to the Middle East 
and to Europe. However, buoyant economic growth in the region has meant 
countries such as Thailand and Malaysia now both export and import labour. 

The number of illegal immigrants in the country is unprecedented, having risen 
from an estimated 200,000 in 1994 to last year's 700,000 ­ two-thirds of whom 
are from Burma. 

>From the government's point of view, the burgeoning number has begun to pose 
problems: the uncontrolled and clandestine entry across its borders has 
challenged government sovereignty, put national security at risk and created 
social problems, such as health issues. Since illegal foreign labourers do not 
receive medical examinations, contagious diseases ranging from Aids to 
elephantiasis are not discovered until the symptoms show. 

Thailand is not the only country to face these difficulties. Around the world, 
developing and developed countries are also dealing with the strains that the 
influx of foreign labour has put on their resources. 

For the Thai economy, however, immigrant labourers are now indispensable. They 
cut sugar cane, build roads, construct buildings, taking the jobs that the 
local workforce shuns. 

Out of the approximately 142,800 fisherman in Ranong province in 1995, 70 per 
cent were Burmese, according to a Department of Fisheries survey quoted in 
Krungthep Thurakij. 

The same survey found that nearly all the workers in industries such as food 
packing and freezing, ice-making, fish-processing for animal food and charcoal 
acquisition from mangrove swamps were Burmese; Thai labourers refuse to work 
under the difficult conditions such jobs entail. 

Uneasy about living with illegal immigrants, the Thai government can no longer 
live without them. In its first steps to contain the influx, the government 
announced in July 1996 that it would grant an amnesty to illegal immigrant 
workers in 43 provinces as long as they registered within provincial 
authorities within 90 days. 

By the end of the three month deadline, however, the Immigration Department 
had a list of just 341,800 names, less than half their estimated total. 

What happened? Is the total estimate too high? Or do the illegal immigrants 
mistrust the government's good intentions? 

The problem is not the illegal immigrants but their employers. They don't want 
to pay the deposit, work-permit fees or welfare benefits, said Nitasna 
Theeravit, Director General of the Department of Employment. 

''As long as the labourers are kept on an illegal footing, they have to put up 
with low wages," she said. According to many employers, their illegal workers 
are humble and undemanding, a plus in a business environment where expenses 
are rising. 

''Some Thai employers use foreign workers to cut costs. This is the wrong 
approach," said Somsak Kosaisook, secretary-general of the State Enterprise 
Worker's Relations Confederation (SERC). 

He said excessive employment of immigrant workers will add to the problems 
facing the local workforce such as the upgrading of skills. 

''Because our society is rapidly changing, Thai manual labour will continue to 
fall behind," he said. ''In a work environment that discourages technological 
expertise at the lowest levels, Thailand may end up with a low-quality work 
force," he added. 

To a certain extent, he is correct. Factory owners continue to employ foreign 
technicians, ignoring the development of their own workers to ensure that 
their factories function smoothly in the short term. 

''In many foreign countries, improvements within the labour movement have been 
carried out systematically and effectively," Somsak added. 

Both Somsak and Nitasna agree that foreign labour should be under tighter 
government controls. But since the government has not been able to even 
register all the foreign workers in the country, ensuring they receive fair 
wages and welfare remains a pipe dream. Just look at the government's failure 
to provide local labour with these basic needs. 

Eventually, it will have to be done. Immigrant labour is here to stay. ''The 
influx of labour from neighbouring countries cannot be stopped. It can only be 
slowed down and controlled," Nitasna said. 

Centuries ago, King Narai's successors took the notion of control several 
steps further. Deeply suspicious of foreign influences, they closed the 
country's borders for nearly 200 years. 

Lui, however, may be a sign of the times. 

Now married to a Thai, he is building his own family ­ he's already built his 
own house. With an average income of Bt5,000 a month, he also has a dream. 
''If I can save up Bt100,000, I will go back home and open up a spare parts 
business."