Human rights group sounds alarm over Thai mass deportation plan
Bangkok – The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch on Tuesday criticised the Thai government’s plan to deport migrant workers to neighboring countries if they miss a registration deadline. Millions of workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar face forced repatriation should they fail to register as legal labourers by the end of this month.
“The process is based on an unrealistic deadline,” said Sunai Phasuk, the Thailand representative for the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW). “The February 28th deadline needs to be postponed.”
The Labour Ministry has declared that migrant workers from neighbouring countries must obtain passports and register for Thai work permits by the deadline or face possible deportation.
