Thailand, IOM to work together on stricter screening of workers before leaving for Israel

BANGKOK, December 12 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Labour, will soon confer with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on imposing stricter measures on Thai workers wishing to work in Israel to prevent narcotics-related problems in the Jewish state. Sumet Mahosot, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Employment, told journalists on Friday that, under the Thai government-IOM joint action, Thais who want to work in Israel need to have their urine and biography checked, with those found to have involved in drugs not to be allowed to leave for Israel. Sumet acknowledged that Suvarnabhumi International Airport's officials will also be requested to be more stringent on checking the Thai workers’ luggage. Sumet said Labour Minister General Surasak Kanchanarat has expressed his concerns following a recent statement, issued by the ThaI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that some 15,000 out of 27,000 Thai workers in Israel were found using drugs smuggled from Thailand, as the problem may become worsen and reduce the amount of revenues the affected Thai workers will send to their motherland in the future. Sumet noted that the labour minister has, therefore, ordered his department to coordinate with other concerned agencies, including the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Police, to closely cooperate to suppress the malpractice. According to the senior official, up to about 3,500 Thai workers in southern Israel were found to use drugs, mostly methamphetamine, while part of Thai workers in Israel were hired for as much as one million baht to smuggle narcotics to Israel, 50 per cent of which was paid as down payment. The senior Thai official pointed out those caught with smuggling narcotics into Israel currently face only a light legal punishment of a maximum six-month imprisonment. (TNA)