Migrant workers warned to have their nationality verified within this month

BANGKOK, June 8 (TNA) -- The labour minister warns migrant workers to have their nationality verified within June 30 as authorities will seriously round up illegal migrant workers afterwards. Labour Minister Adul Sangsingkeo said that as of June 6 about 98,000 migrant workers had not been documented, undergone physical checkups, and sought work permits and visas at the ministry’s one-stop service centers. Of the people, about 37,000 people had not passed nationality verification, consisting of 30,000 Cambodians, 6,400 Laotians and 800 Myanmar people. Pol Gen Adul said the number of Cambodian workers was much higher because about 8,000 Cambodian people worked in bordering areas and chose to pay only 1,500 baht for three-month border passes. Other Cambodian workers returned to their homeland to apply for their passports. In fact, about 10,000 Cambodian workers needed to undergo the process at one-stop service centers, the minister said. Overall, about 56,000 migrant workers had yet to pass the process at the centers. Most of them were in Bangkok, followed by Chon Buri, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan provinces, Pol Gen Adul said. He assured that the government would not extend the deadline for the process. An illegal migrant worker will be fined 5,000-50,000 baht and sent to homeland. An employer of illegal migrant workers will be fined 10,000-100,000 baht per worker. If employers repeat the offence, they will be liable to a jail term of up to 1 year and/or a fine of 50,000-200,000 baht.