Thailand sets to re-employ 160,000 Cambodian migrant workers

Cambodia to face mass return of nationals working in Thailand  

Sunday, 09 December 2012  

By  MCOT 

BANGKOK, – Thai and Cambodian labour officials will facilitate the re-employment in Thailand of more than 160,000 Cambodian workers who will possibly be deported to their home country after the nationality verification process ends next Friday, a senior Thai official said today. 

The process involves 222,430 Cambodian workers of which only 56,776 have had their nationality verified (between March and November this year) while the remaining 165,654 have yet to complete the required formality.

                     Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand rounded up and deported in the past.

Prawit Kiengpol, director general of the Thai Employment Department, said the nationality verification process would not be completed by the Friday deadline and unverified Cambodians will be sent back.

He urged Seng Sakda, director general of the Cambodian Labour and Occupational Training Department, to be prepared for a mass exodus of Khmer workers, saying Cambodian officials may have to issue travel documents for those wishing to cross the border into Thailand to work on daily or seasonal basis.

Thai and Cambodian labour officials discussed the matter in a joint meeting today to cope with the return of Cambodian workers after the nationality verification.

Mr Seng urged Thai authorities to speed up the re-employment of Cambodian workers given Thailand’s continued need for foreign labour. He said that Cambodian authorities will urgently issue travel documents or passports to their citizens wanting to work in Thailand on whichever basis.

Mr Prawit called on Thai entrepreneurs who hire foreign workers to inform the Labour Ministry of their required re-employment of Cambodian workers to prevent labour shortage.