BANGKOK, March 26 – Over 200,000 labour migrants from neighbouring countries whose working visas have expired will be permitted to stay for another 180 days, according to the caretaker Cabinet’s decision.
The Cabinet extended their stay for 180 days, or until the new government reconsiders the issue in order to prevent a labour shortage in the manufacturing sector.
The workers are from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia who have worked in Thailand for four years. They have yet to go through the legal employment process.
About 80 per cent of migrant workers in Thailand are from Myanmar. They work in factories, construction and the seafood industry.
Thailand established a nationality verification program, in cooperation with its neighbours, to legalize foreign workers and reduce labour abuses.
