Migrant workers locked in room after false promise of work

The Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation (LPN) revealed that they had been contacted by Myanmar migrant workers who were tricked by agents that they would find them a job in Thailand via the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) system. However, they were instead brought to the Kingdom illegally and many were kept in an apartment without work. LPN director Sompong Srakaew said that 119 Myanmar migrant workers were victims, as the agent promised them they would find work in Thailand via the MoU system and they had paid 500,000 kyat (Bt12,000) for passports. Biggest case of deception However, when they arrived in Thailand, they were locked in an apartment at Tambon Bang Torat of Samut Sakhon’s Mueang District and most of them did not get a job. Sompong said the LPN assisted the migrants by helping them report to police at Bang Torat Police Station and investigated whether the crime consituted human trafficking. Samak Thabthani, LPN coordinator, said that the workers said 59 of them had got a job, but 64 of them were still unemployed. Among 119 of the workers, there were 40 female workers and no children. They were all told that they will get a legal job in Thailand, but instead they were stranded by the agent. Samak said the workers were brought into Thailand illegally, so they were all having trouble finding legal work because they did not have valid visa. “The Social Development and Human Security, police, and LPN are now considering the options to help these workers, whether authorities will help them to register and find work or deport them,” he said. “This is the biggest case of migrant workers being deceived, but it was not the first one. Similar cases have been reported recently and many migrant workers are the victims of such crime.” It has been reported that the police have arrested some of the agents and officers were now tracking down the mastermind. Meanwhile in Srakaew, local authorities, police, the military, the private sector and the Cambodian Consulate in Thailand discussed the implementation of the Migrant Worker Emergency Decree and ta new border crossing at Ban Khaodin in Khlong Hat District. Thai officials asked the Cambodian counterparts to inform Cambodian people about the new regulations to work in Thailand. Cambodian deputy consul general in Thailand Nget Bunly said that the Cambodian authorities will work closely with the Thai counterpart on the issue. Sa Kaeo Provincial Immigration superintendent Pol Lt Colonel Benjaphol Rotsawat said Cambodian workers had started to come back to Thailand, after they had returned to Cambodia to register for passports to work in Thailand legally.