Jobs for 4.4m migrant workers planned

Myanmar’s government plans to create millions of jobs to draw back the 4.4 million migrants now working and residing in Thailand and Malaysia, despite lingering uncertainties in the country that continue to drive its people to seek employment overseas, a deputy minister said.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Brig-Gen Kyaw Zan Myint told Parliament on Friday that jobs would be created in local areas for migrant workers. This move would be introduced in tandem with efforts to ensure the country’s migrant workers obtain legal documents overseas. Myanmar embassies in Thailand and Malaysia are issuing passports to its nationals, through cooperation of several ministries. Under a bilateral agreement with Thailand, passports are also being issued along the border. 

Kyaw Zan Myint said that 2 million Myanmar nationals are working in Thailand and 2.4 million in Malaysia. 

“As of September 10, legal documents have been issued to more than 3.3 million migrants,” he said. 

“We will soon submit the plans to resettle these workers along with internally displaced persons in local areas, through cooperation with government committees from Kayin State and Taninthari Region,” Lyaw Zan Myint said.

Thailand's prime minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha is visiting Myanmar this month.

Encouraging migrants to return from overseas has been planned for some time, but some migrant workers in Thailand remain wary of the political situation and are reluctant to return before they are assured it will be stable. The country has yet to sign a nationwide ceasefire agreement, while political parties are ratchetting up disputes over several issues ahead of the national elections planned for late next year.

During the latest parliamentary session, officials from the ministries of labour, home affairs and foreign affairs focused their discussion on migrants and ethnic refugees in Thailand.

Deputy Minister of Labour Htin Aung claimed that since 2011, employment agencies have provided 1.2 million jobs locally.

“We’re trying to provide job opportunities to migrants when they return,” he said during the latest parliamentary session.

Some MPs said the ministries’ remedy to address the exodus of workers was feeble.

On Friday, Aung San Suu Kyi, chairperson of the National League for Democracy, told reporters in Nay Pyi Taw that inadequate employment and security, along with political instability, continue to cause people to leave the country.

“Long story short, there’s no adequate employment in this country – no security, no political stability,” she said. “These things trigger the problem of migrants and refugees [going to other countries]. We can’t expect to recover overnight. The government alone can’t solve this too. The whole country should and they have a right to take part in this process,” she added.

On the same day, MP Nann War Nu said: “I bet there are many who want to return to their motherland. But is our country ready to take care of them? They receive income in a foreign country that is twice as much as people are paid in our currency. How can our government manage to provide them with well-paid jobs?” 

She added that most of refugees who had fled their homeland did so because of the lack of safety and stability.

MP Than Oo said there raised another issue that could complicate the return of refugees and migrants. He said some people in foreign countries were claiming to be Myanmar nationals when were actually citizens of other countries, putting the ratio at 50:50. “If we bring our nationals back, we need to scrutinise them with great care,” Than Oo said.

In a related development, Myanmar has put a five-month ban on sending its women to work as maids in Singapore following reports of ill treatment and abuse.  The Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies Federation said that the “temporary suspension” would be lifted once an agreement, in the form of a memorandum of understanding, is signed with labour agencies in Singapore.

There are about 30,000-40,000 Myanmar maids in the country.