From Our Eyes: Mekong Migrant Reflections 2000 - MAP Foundation

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At the beginning I paid 3,000 baht, and now it has increased to 5,500 baht. My employer arranges for the broker to fill the form in for me. I just have to take a picture and he takes care of the rest of the process. The employer pays the fees to the broker and then deducts repayments from me monthly. I have worked in the same job since 2002, so it is easy for me to do it. I keep the work permit with me. Mostly, worker’s permits contain the broker’s name. It makes it complicated and impossible for the migrant to complain if they face a problem with their employer. I think that it is beer to have a work permit than a temporary passport. Although we can travel everywhere with a temporary passport, it costs over 10,000 baht. We cannot afford that amount. It is expensive and the procedure is very complicated. The worker’s registraon costs about 5,000 baht per year. If I want to travel to another province, I have to get a travel permit from the immigraon service. It costs 1,000 baht and I can apply for one up to three mes per year. The travel permit allows us to visit another province for short periods-a few days only. Somemes, I cannot get a travel permit so I use a broker to arrange a car for me, for instance, in the event of an emergency visit to a relave in another province. I have never had my personal documents confiscated. I think that the policies for the work permit and the temporary passport are very good for migrants. It allows them to become legal workers in Thailand. However, the applicaon process is difficult. Workers have difficules because they don’t know the Thai language, and most of them are uneducated. They are not sure whether they will be able to obtain documentaon (the work permit/ temporary passport), or not. I think that there are no guarantees with the temporary passport. If I want to find a new job in a different place, I have to purchase a new work permit. Therefore, I will ask the broker to arrange this for me because I am afraid to contact the Thai authories. I do not understand anything and the broker helps me with the process. I have to pay two to three mes higher than the actual cost. I have no access to the Myanmar embassy. In addion, it is difficult to apply for a marriage cerficate or birth cerficate in Thailand. The NV process is complicated. At the beginning it was difficult to change work places because the law said that migrant workers could not change employers unless they were dismissed. Recently, many people have been able to obtain temporary passports and work permits so it has become easier. Nonetheless, it is sll difficult for workers to complain to their employer, even if they have a temporary passport. Employers need more workers, so they don’t care much about the documents owned by the workers. Migrant workers cannot make their own decisions because of 28 From Our Eyes: Mekong Migrant Reflections 2000-2012
estricve policies. For example, I have a work permit, but I am not allowed to visit another area. There are many jobs in Phuket. If I could go there, I could get a new job. However, because of the restricve policies, I cannot decide on my own to go there and get a new job. In addition, corruption makes policy implementaon more complicated and less effecve. I have never rented a house. My employer has provided me with a place to live. It is free-including electricity and water-but there is no privacy. However, we can rent a house if we choose to. A Thai person must provide a guarantee in order for us to rent. Now, it is easy to get a mobile phone. I can buy a mobile but there are some restricons (authories and employers sll want to control them). Before, it was difficult to communicate with my family in Burma. Now I can call any me to my family and friends, even an emergency call. A major change for me now is the increased cost of living. It now costs me an addional 700 to 800 baht for phone call charges, for instance. It is difficult to manage my own business. Migrant workers have no right to own a motorbike. It is also difficult for us to get a driving license, because all the processes are in Thai. All these policies also depend on the province where you live and work. I have a health care card. I got it when I registered for a work permit in 2002. Health insurance is not part of my work agreement. All employees working with me must have a work permit as well as a health card, but they have to apply for the work permit by themselves. The employer usually refuses to recruit them if they don’t have the work permit and health card. I have been to the hospital three mes using the health card. I think that the policy is very good and useful. One visit costs 30 baht. It is not very much. It would be a lot more if I didn’t have a work permit. When I went to the hospital, it was not difficult because there were translators from Burmese NGOs. If they had not been there, it would be more complicated to communicate with the doctors. I had a medical check-up when I first applied for health insurance. I have to do it again every year to renew the card. It includes blood, urine, and X-ray tests. I do not know what types of diseases were checked, but I don’t think it included TB or HIV tests. I do not know the results. I don’t know which diseases make it impossible to obtain insurance. There might be an impact on me, I might be deported. The hospital should inform these people about their results and should suggest an appropriate treatment. People have to understand what’s happening to them. I have no experience of adult educaon. If there were trainings related to my work, I would be happy to aend them, but I’m used to learning on my own, for instance by talking with other workers. From Our Eyes: Mekong Migrant Reflections 2000-2012 29
Page 3 and 4: »¡ã¹´ŒÒ¹Ë¹ŒÒ
Page 5 and 6: PREFACE We are migrants from the Me
Page 7 and 8: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would sincerely
Page 9 and 10: CONTENTS Preface ..................
Page 11 and 12: INTRODUCTION We, migrants, have mad
Page 13 and 14: • Access to jusce; • Educaon fo
Page 15 and 16: BACKGROUND ON MIGRATION POLICY IN T
Page 17 and 18: As a way to implement the MOUs, two
Page 19 and 20: Map of key locaons INDIA CHINA Yunn
Page 21 and 22: here, after deductions for food and
Page 23 and 24: I had neither a health card with my
Page 25 and 26: I think there are many more job opp
Page 27 and 28: Thailand, which industrialised ahea
Page 29 and 30: Workers were frustrated in their ef
Page 31 and 32: Did you know... Polical climate Mig
Page 33 and 34: Pursuant to Secons 10 and 11 of the
Page 35 and 36: “Migrant workers cannot make thei
Page 37: the workers received their wages di
Page 41 and 42: If there were an emergency situaon,
Page 43 and 44: Did you know… Compulsory Migrant
Page 45 and 46: unnamed Thai employer, ‘would fac
Page 47 and 48: pass to visit Ranong province in Th
Page 49 and 50: I have a naonal ID card in Burma. W
Page 51 and 52: I am worried that the migrant schoo
Page 53 and 54: the head of villages, about every t
Page 55 and 56: NGO Reflection: The Foundation for
Page 57 and 58: “Going out is a risk and I don’
Page 59 and 60: estaurant told us that the police d
Page 61 and 62: Did you know… Mobility restricons
Page 63 and 64: The border pass I got when I crosse
Page 65 and 66: Luckily, the other women gave me a
Page 67 and 68: card. The police found my ATM card
Page 69 and 70: asked us about our work, “Hey pre
Page 71 and 72: Bangkok, the driver got down and ca
Page 73 and 74: Migrant sex workers’ rights The A
Page 75 and 76: those without documents and without
Page 77 and 78: “I gave up drugs and was trained
Page 79 and 80: stayed at the same house knew about
Page 81 and 82: debt, I returned back to Poipet and
Page 83 and 84: I used to be arrested many mes but
Page 85 and 86: “I had many difficules during tho
Page 87 and 88: According to my experiences so far,
Page 89 and 90:
labour inspectors to inspect and is
Page 91 and 92:
Endnotes: 1 Internaonal Organizaon
Page 93 and 94:
migrants working in Thailand. I did
Page 95 and 96:
I have only one son. My son was bor
Page 97 and 98:
Birth cerficaon The Naonality Act B
Page 99 and 100:
machine operator. My wages also inc
Page 101 and 102:
I don’t have an ATM card. I never
Page 103 and 104:
have helped me. I have been to the
Page 105 and 106:
“My family cannot save enough mon
Page 107 and 108:
My employers always treat me fairly
Page 109 and 110:
I can go up to Phang Nga province b
Page 111 and 112:
I decided not to enrol my daughter
Page 113 and 114:
There has been no improvement in de
Page 115 and 116:
“I know that there is a Thai law
Page 117 and 118:
I don’t have a work permit. I wou
Page 119 and 120:
I have had no contact with governme
Page 121 and 122:
2. States Pares shall take legislav
Page 123 and 124:
have difficules and suffer in life.
Page 125 and 126:
My friend asked me for the money ba
Page 127 and 128:
contracepve pill. I let myself have
Page 129 and 130:
The main difficulty I have is with
Page 131 and 132:
There is a government policy that d
Page 133 and 134:
“We need to solve the atude probl
Page 135 and 136:
We used to live with our employer f
Page 137 and 138:
have migrants been allowed to study
Page 139 and 140:
In regards to cultural expression,
Page 141 and 142:
the hospital first and said that th
Page 143 and 144:
In my opinion, we should have the r
Page 145 and 146:
Aer I shared my experiences in Thai
Page 147 and 148:
Before entering Thailand, I was edu
Page 149 and 150:
Did you know... Medical condions of
Page 151 and 152:
“I have experienced deportaon. I
Page 153 and 154:
Thailand again. I worked (begged) a
Page 155 and 156:
I have experienced deportaon. I was
Page 157:
Arcle 11(2) of the Migrant Workers
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