Thailand has enjoyed robust economic growth over the past two decades, making it one of the fastest developing countries in Asia. Average annual GDP growth from 1980 to 1993 was 8.2%. Despite experiencing political unrest in 1992, the country recovered rapidly to post an impressive 7.9% growth rate for the year; this increased to 8.2% in 1993, and 8.8% in 1994. Notwithstanding the increased volatility in the global financial markets and the adverse effects of a nationwide flood, the country continued to grow strongly by 8.6% in 1995. The economic growth was driven mainly by export and investments and was supported by buoyant domestic consumption. Thailand's major trading partners include the United States, ASEAN, Japan, European Union and the NIEs.
As with most developing countries and NIEs, Thailand's economy is tied to the world market. Offering tariff reductions, tax-free exports and imports and other incentives to new investors encouraged trade, expanded export industries and increased foreign investment. Thailand's major sources of foreign investments are Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, US, England and Germany.
Thailand presently both receives and sends out migrant workers.
Since 1973, Thai workers have migrated to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar. Saudi Arabia was once the largest labor market for Thai workers. In 1990, following a diplomatic break between the two countries, there was a sudden reduction in the demand for Thai labor. Thai migrant workers had to turn to the job markets in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei) and East Asia (Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong). As of 1995, an estimated 627,815 documented and undocumented Thai migrant workers were scattered around the world.
In Asia, Taiwan is the most popular destination for Thai migrant workers (203,000), followed by Malaysia (109,825) and Singapore (70,000). A considerable number of Thais also work in neighboring countries like Brunei, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. Thais who work in the above-mentioned countries face the usual problems of exploitation, nonpayment of wages and poor working conditions. In Singapore, for example, more than 200 Thai workers died between 1984 and 1995 from a disease called "unexplained nocturnal death syndrome." In addition, Thai migrant workers, particularly the undocumented, are confronted with strict labor laws and immigration policies. In Taiwan, Thai laborers face similar problems to those of their counterparts in Singapore or Malaysia. Exorbitant brokerage fees are being charged to job-seekers by unscrupulous placement agencies. This has contributed to numerous cases of runaways, theft and long working hours to earn enough money to pay off their debts. Management-labor disputes are also rampant because of discrepancies in the contracts, the majority of which are drafted by the employers and brokers.
Basic factors for migration in Thailand include:
1) Uneven development: The government, in its push for an export-oriented economy, has neglected the agricultural sector. Farmers' earnings are insufficient to meet basic necessities, thus, making them venture into the cities or seek better opportunities abroad.
2) Excessive land development: Agricultural lands are converted into industrial or residential areas and export-processing zones.
3) Consumer-oriented values: Income from farming does not meet rising demands of consumer-oriented Thais.
4) Invitation from relatives or friends.
5) Family problems: Marital separations and neglect, particularly among women.
In recent years, there has been a high demand for labor in Thailand particularly in the farming and fishing sectors. The labor shortage was caused by internal migration, i.e. farmers and fishermen desiring a more lucrative livelihood ventured into the urban areas to find work in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. But migrants from neighboring countries have been filling in the gaps. According to estimates by the Thai government, there are around 700,000 to one million undocumented migrant workers, with the majority coming from Burma. There are also Cambodians, Laotians, mainland Chinese and South Asians (Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, etc.) legally or illegally working or engaged in other activities in Thailand.
The vast majority of such people from neighboring countries enter Thailand because of economic reasons, i.e., higher paying jobs. Some undocumented migrants from Burma - particularly members of ethnic minority groups - initially are escaping the repressive policies of the Burmese military junta. Unable to support themselves in Thailand and fearful of returning to Burma, they seek employment in Thailand. Most of Thailand's undocumented migrants cross into Thailand on foot. Due to the relatively lax nature of checking procedures, they often enter through border checkpoints without a border pass. Others may know the border guards and therefore cross without the needed papers.
Undocumented migrants typically must take the low-paying or harsh jobs that Thai workers are less willing to accept, i.e. in the construction and the agricultural sectors where workers perform heavy physical labor. The fisheries industry, in particular, relies heavily on Burmese migrants; roughly half of the labor force in the fisheries industry are Burmese. Undocumented migrants also work in warehouses, small factories, and restaurants/bars. Women often end up as domestic helpers or are forced into the sex industry.
Problems involving Thai migrant workers include:
1) Misinformation: Before going abroad most migrant workers tend to receive only positive information about the country of employment, such as light work, high salary, good working and living conditions, etc. Such information is distributed through employment agencies, friends and other media reports. There is little access to accurate information, thus, most migrant workers leave the country with high hopes only to find themselves trapped in appalling conditions.
2) Language barriers: Language is one area where Thai workers are at a disadvantage. Their inability to understand and communicate in English is often exploited by brokers and employers. Such migrants usually land in jobs despised by locals, such as factories, construction, domestic jobs and restaurants.
3) Working problems: Difficulty in adjusting to an unfamiliar society and culture, low wages, bad working conditions, lack of employment security, long working hours and sexual and physical abuse are common problems. Strict labor and immigration laws are also a major problem faced by Thai workers.
4) Excessive brokerage fees: Legal and illegal employment agencies charge high placement fees. For instance, a job applicant for Taiwan has to pay THB 70,000, while applicants for Japan must pay THB 800,000 to 1,000,000. This leaves many migrant workers heavily indebted.
Problems of migrant workers in Thailand include:
1) Arrests and imprisonment: Undocumented migrants in Thailand face a variety of problems. Foremost among these is arrest or deportation. Migrants caught entering illegally are generally sent back immediately by the Thai authorities. Migrants who violate other Thai laws or those found in the interior of the country will normally spend time in prison before being sent back or are released after paying a fine. While conditions in Thai prisons do not meet strict international standards, they are not as harsh as in many other countries. Embassies are allowed to send representatives to check on and assist their nationals, though the embassies of the two countries with the largest contingents of arrested migrants - Burma and Cambodia - typically ignore such responsibility.
2) Corrupt government officials and employers: There are frequent reports of Thai government officials taking advantage of the vulnerable status of migrants who seek employment. They charge fees to transport migrants to the workplace and to arrange employment. Some employers apparently payoff police and officials in their districts to avoid arrest of their undocumented workers. In some cases, the economic and political power of local business people allows them to hire migrants illegally without fear of arrest or penalties.
3) Low wages and unsafe working conditions: Undocumented migrants often endure unsafe working conditions and long hours of work for relatively low pay. The Thai minimum wage is about US$6 per day but most undocumented migrants make less than this amount, sometimes only US$2 for certain types of manual agricultural work. In some cases, employers withhold pay or pay less than initially promised.
4) Accommodation and sanitary facilities: Many migrants have difficulty in finding housing with sanitary facilities and proper protection from the elements. They construct shanties from whatever materials are available. Employers hiring undocumented migrants for construction work, domestic service and prostitution in the urban areas generally provide rudimentary housing.
5) Ineffective immigration policies: On June 25, 1996 Thailand's cabinet decided to allow employers to register undocumented migrants from Burma Cambodia and Laos. Employers have to pay a US$40 registration fee and provide a US$200 surety to the Ministry of Labour for every migrant registered. But as of December 1996, merely one third of the estimated undocumented migrants registered, mostly Burmese. Some possible reasons for the limited success of the policy are:
a) too few employers or migrants knew about the policy;
b) employers were unwilling to pay the registration fee and surety;
c) migrants and employers did not want the Thai authorities to collect information about them;
d) employers found it was cheaper not to register their migrants.
Very few assistance organizations in Thailand work directly with undocumented migrants. For
the displaced Burmese persons in camps along the Thai-Burma border, the Burma Border
Consortium coordinates relief efforts. Many NGOs concerned with the commercial sex business
have found that commercial sex establishments in Thailand are employing an increasing number
of migrant women. Many of these NGOs have adjusted their programs accordingly.
Grassroots campaigns and education activities are being done by NGOs such as Friends of Women Foundation, Arom Pompangan Foundation, Union for Civil Liberties, Labour Youth Group, Migrant Youth Worker Program and Coordination Centre for Construction Workers. Some have ongoing education and information dissemination programs directed towards labor organizations, NGO staff and the public. These activities also include providing education in industrial areas and organizing exchange forums and seminars to share information on migrant workers' problems. Such activities are aimed at creating a better relationship between migrants and locals.
On the policy level, Asia Forum works on the protection of foreign workers' rights, while Friends of Asian Women Workers provides assistance and suggestions, advocates and campaigns on migrant women workers' issues. Friends of Women Foundation provides legal assistance to migrant women workers and at the same time, also does lobbying and advocacy works. Opposition Burmese and the New Life Center caters to urgent needs and emergency cases of migrants.
Based on the complexities of issues affecting both Thai workers abroad and migrants workers in Thailand, the organizations working with these issues are limited and can not cope with the present situation. Involved parties should develop more agencies dealing with the issues of migrants workers and foreign workers on education, assistance, mobilization, advocacy, campaign both at the international and national levels.
As far as government policies are concerned, they have not been effective. In fact, laws have done very little for migrant workers. The government is unable to control the influx of migrant workers into Thailand; likewise it has uncompromising stand on the worsening situation of Thai workers abroad. The government should focus its vision not only on economic policies, but should also develop concrete, effective laws that benefit its people working abroad as well as the lowly migrants in Thailand. After all, these migrant workers are contributing to economic development. The complexity of the issue which has grown to unexpected proportions in a few years suggests that an overall policy revision is required of the Thai government.
This country report was compiled from the following sources:
Gallagher, Meg (Christian Commission on Migration, Women's Desk), Migrant Workers Situation in Thailand, paper submitted at the conference, Migrant Workers Challenging Global Structures, August 28 to September 2, 1996, Seoul, Korea.
Petrat, Supawadee (Friends of Women Foundation), International Labour Migration: Situation In Thailand, paper submitted at the conference, Migrant Workers Challenging Global Structures, August 28 - September 2, 1996, Seoul, Korea.
Prompian, Junya, Thai Male Migrant Workers in Singapore, a summarized and translated report from Report on the Problems of Thai Migrant Workers in Singapore (1993) by A. Korsieporn.
Stern, Aaron , "Thailand's Illegal Labour Migrants," in Asian Migrant, Vol. 9, No. 4 (October - December 1996).