THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Group urges restraint in publicising reports on migrant workers

Group urges restraint in publicising reports on migrant workers

Migrant workers’ rights group have urged the authorities to help stop the persecution of migrant workers amid intensifying xenophobia, as the migrants were blamed for taking away jobs from Thai people.

Migrant Working Group on Tuesday released a statement urging authorities to avoid publicising news of their clampdowns on migrant workers allegedly working in restricted professions. The group said publicising such news had resulted in anti-migrant worker sentiment among Thais.
In recent weeks, there has been growing concern among Thais that more migrant workers were now working as retailers after officers arrested migrant workers engaged in jobs reserved for Thais.
The group pointed out in their statement that this trend had intensified fear and hate of migrant workers among Thais. They urged the authorities to refrain from spreading xenophobic news reports and to also amend labour laws so that they aligned with the real employment needs of the Thai labour market.
“The entrepreneurs proposed that the Royal Decree Prescribing Occupations and Professions Prohibited for Foreign Workers BE 2522 (1979) should be taken as guidelines to prohibit migrant workers from undertaking certain jobs. But such prohibitions do not correspond to the labour demand at present, as migrant workers are needed in certain occupations shunned by their Thai counterparts,” the statement said.
“Based on the aforementioned information, the Migrant Working Group urges the government to stop spreading news about the crackdowns on migrant workers and promptly calls for a meeting of the Policy Committee to review the recommendations made by stakeholders concerning work prohibitions of migrant workers.”

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