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 NCGUB: News on Migrants & Refugees-18 December, 2009 (English & Burmese)
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 HEADLINES
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 NEWS ON MIGRANTSThai Government Urged to Investigate 'Long Neck' Tourist VillageForeign workers change the face of ThailandNEWS ON REFUGEES
 
e-Letter Issue No 9, December 2009
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         
              
                                                                                
             
                          
                                 … ………
             
                                       ( (((
                   - ---   ))))
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Thai Government Urged to Investigate 'Long Neck' Tourist VillageBy LAWI WENG Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Thai government is being urged to investigate a businessman who allegedlymoved more than 20 Padaung so-called “long necks” from their homes in northernThailand to become a tourist attraction near Chiang Mai.The Karen Network for Culture and Environment (KNCE), based in Chiang Mai,announced on Thursday that it would write to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajivaurging “action” by the Thai government.KNCE coordinator Waiying Thongbeu told
The Irrawaddy
on Thursday that thebusinessman had brought the 22 Padaung from Mae Hong Son, near the Thai-Burmese border, to a farm in the Chiang Mai suburb of Mae Rim.The Padaung had been registered as immigrant workers and acted as a touristattraction for visitors who paid 500 baht (US $16) to view them, Waiying Thongbeusaid.“It is not appropriate to charge foreign visitors to view these people as if they were ina zoo,” he said. “They are human beings, not animals.”
 
“The Thai government should not sit by and watch it, but needs to take action againstthose who organized this trade, which is human trafficking.”Waiying Thongbeu said the Padaung had willingly gone to Mae Rim, hoping for abetter life.“They are provided with food and shelter by the businessman. But it is uncertainwhether they get a monthly salary,” he said.About 500 Padaung live in three villages—Ban Nai Soi, Ban Sua Thao and Huai PuKen—near Mae Hong Son. Tour operators take foreign visitors to the villages to viewthe Padaung women wearing their iconic bronze coils around their necks.The Padaung women in the Mae Hong Son villages are paid 1,500 baht ($38) a monthby a Thai community, the “Union of Hill Tribe Villages,” to act as a tourist attraction,selling handicrafts and souvenirs to visitors.The Padaung inhabitants of the three villages have no official status and theirmovements are closely monitored by the Thai authorities. Most crossed to Thailandduring the past 10 years because of discrimination, unemployment and forced labor inBurma.Although they can apply, like Burmese residents of refugee camps in Thailand, forresettlement in third countries, they often face obstructionism by Thai authorities.In 2008, Thai authorities denied exit to a group of 20 Padaung people who hadalready been accepted for resettlement by Canada, New Zealand and Finland.http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17419 
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Foreign workers change the face of Thailand18/12/2009 at 09:00 AM
International Migrants Day is a good time to remind ourselves what a powerful forcemigrants can be for the economy, for jobs and for cultural dynamism.Thailand's political and economic landscape currently faces many challenges. But onething is clear: with proper management, international labour migration can create newopportunities and vitality to a workforce.Demographics are shifting in Thailand, and labour migration into the country will bean important factor in managing the country's future economy and workforce. Lessthan 30% of the population is currently under 20 years old. As the productive agegroup declines, the number of senior citizens depending on old-age benefits, fundedby younger workers, will rise.In the years to come, the economy is expected to grow more dependent on low-skilledmigrant labour because of the regionalisation of the economy, the growing demand
 
for primary workers in almost all economic sectors and the aging of the Thaipopulation.Forecasts in 2006 showed that from 2007 to 2012 there would be a need for 300,000primary workers of whom only 33% can be satisfied by new Thai entrants to thelabour market. In order to maintain a productive workforce and stabilise the laboursupply in crucial sectors such as agriculture, con struction and manufacturing, moremigrants will be needed. To cater to the needs of Thai senior citizens, this workforcewill have to be formalised and pay taxes.So what steps can Thailand take to properly host and manage the labour migrants thatit requires? And what can policy makers do to prepare for the necessary increase inlabour migrants in years to come?These questions were debated this week at a seminar organised by the United Nationsin tandem with Thailand's Ministry of Labour. A variety of stakeholders includinggovernment officials, academics, employers associations, trade unions, civil societyand international organisations discussed how Thailand could best benefit frominternational migration within an effective policy environment. Their deliberationsfocused on how migration can be a force for good in Thailand, contributingsignificantly to human development.Migrant workers have played a crucial role in defining Thailand as a leading economyin the region. The two million or more unskilled migrant workers currently employedhere make up roughly 5% of the Thai labour force. Their contribution to the economyis massive. In 2005, it represented at least 1.25% of the Thai GDP.At an international level, migration is a fundamental feature in today's globalisedworld, with some 200 million people, or 3% of the world's population, currentlyliving outside their countries of birth or nationality.Migration management requires a comprehensive approach that considers cross-cutting issues such as health, development, environment, labour, trade, economy,education, gender and human rights. Thailand has recognised the many needs andchallenges related to migration by adopting various laws and policies to protectmigrants, such as the Working of Aliens Act, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, theCivil Registration Act, health coverage for migrants and access to education for theirchildren.But what is lacking is an agreed comprehensive framework that acknowledges theinterrelationship between these various issues and a common approach to deal withthem in a holistic manner rather than in isolation.As the current chair of Asean, Thailand could lead by example to the regiondeveloping a comprehensive framework for managing migration. It could draw on thefoundations that have already been laid through regional initiatives such as the AseanHuman Rights Body and the Asean Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.
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