Thailand specially extends stay for migrant workers

BANGKOK, January 16 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Labour, has specially allowed an extended stay, for a certain period of time, for over 700,000 migrant workers from neighbouring countries, pending their nationality verifications. Prawit Kiangpol, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Employment, in his capacity as the head of a Thai delegation, held a discussion on the specially-extended stay for some 150,000 illegal Cambodian migrant workers with a Cambodian delegation in Bangkok on Wednesday. During the talks, the Cambodian side suggested that more one-stop nationality verification service centres be set up in Thailand, apart from the only one set up at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok, and lenient measures, covering required documents, be applied for the Cambodian migrant workers during their specially-extended stay in Thailand, pending their nationality verification. Thai labour authorities also hold similar talks with a Lao delegation in the capital on Wednesday afternoon, as there remain a large number of illegal migrant workers from neighbouring countries, including over 300,000 from Myanmar, some 150,000 from Cambodia, over 100,000 from Laos and over 200,000 from other neighbours, whose nationality verifications have not yet been complete. The Thai Cabinet first resolved on June 12, 2012 to extend the official nationality verification service for the illegal migrant workers until December 14, 2012, but the service, again, could not be complete by the extended dateline, prompting the Thai government to have granted the specially-extended stay for the migrant workers, pending their nationality verifications. (TNA)