Laws: January, 2003 - Number #15

Thailand is planning a new system for managing guest workers. The Deputy Prime Minister in December 2002 said "The government needs to toughen its stance and find a lasting solution to problems relating to the employment of foreign workers… We should not let 500,000-600,000 illegal alien workers take Thai jobs."

The Thai government asserted that new enforcement measures would keep the number of migrants at 300,000, the number registered with the government, and that the other 300,000 to 600,000 unregistered migrants would be forced out of Thailand by stepped-up enforcement against migrants and employers. Employers of unauthorized workers can be fined 50,000 baht ($1,162) and jailed for three years.

The first 39 of Burmese workers arrested in Thailand were returned to Burma at Myawaddy under a new migration agreement in December 2002; Thailand provided names and photos, and Burma accepted migrants with permanent addresses in Burma. Most of the Burmese being returned said they would return to Thailand to seek jobs after serving jail terms.

Burma's military government has a media blitz that attempts to portray working abroad as both dangerous and unpatriotic, emphasizing that Burmese are discriminated against. Thai workers normally earn about 170 baht a day, while Burmese migrants are paid 50 to 100 baht a day.

Singapore. About 75 percent of Singapore's 3.8 million residents are ethnic Chinese and, in an effort to transform the economy, English has replaced Chinese as the language of instruction in schools. As electronics production jobs move to China, Singapore hopes to attract biomedical producers by emphasizing its reputation for rule of law and its strict protection of intellectual property rights.

Zarny Win, "Burmese Migrants Impressed By Thai Political Freedom," Inter Press Service, December 12, 2002. Piyanart Srivalo, "New employment rules on the way," Nation, December 5, 2002.