migrants worker the poorest of the poor vision,direction and aspiration in Thai society.

Publication date: Friday 17 August 2007

Today  do we have been spend much more time and resources for supporting the poorest of the poor?. The article describes a ground  reality ongoing of migrants labor situation in Thailand. I would like to  invite  you to follow me looking  into grassroots people vision, direction and aspiration.

Last week while I sat down in the small shopping center, a Shan State construction worker and his about 9 years old son  came to buy a student uniform at the local clothes shop in Auytha market Banbosang Sankampheang . He bargain  with the shop owner from 350 Baht to 320 Bath and gave a very simple reason   " I have just that amount money for my  son school uniform but not for my drinking today " While he pulled his money out of a pocket he also complaining  and smiling about.

The migrants labor became a majority customer of my wife who own the clothes shop in the market where young women worker used to buy a fashion suit and Jeans for men  while the older one came before the Bhuddist celebration for new clothes flower,snacks to visit a Bhuddist monk near by theirs working place. More Shan people came to be a group of  donor  due to theirs fundamentalist Buddhist believes.

A village primary school head teacher also quite happy for the total no of a student were increase because of Shan children who was born in the employment community. The school budget  per head  have been reduce for many years of  2 reasons firstly Thai family have reach out the family planning and secondly Thai used to send theirs child to  well known school in the city. For a near future they could be able a source of income to Thai higher education system.

Illegally status could not prevent  them from traveling from bordering to the city to work. They learn more about good or bad agencies. They  experiences from friends and relatives  how to send money home before traveling back to their original village and do not mind provided some for a soft dinner of the immigration  or policeman check point.

Legally  worker have to pay 3,800 Bath for registered fee and 50 % will turn to a  hospital host for one year health care fee. If there are no sick expenses the budget of each will be return but  share to others both Thai and Migrants.  It is very easy  when you try to make sense of 431 Bath per month  per head, a maximun payment cost of Socail Security Fund plus of Thailand Burma Border Consortium, October  2004 estimated,  157,000 persons from 2,500 villages are affected  by the ongoing war in Shan state. At the same time The Ministry of Labour reported during 1-31 July  2004, there  are 76,952 migrants from Myanmar and Cambodia  working in Chiangmai and 120,636 migrants in Tak province,  20 % of the total no of  migrants are registered, so the rest could be identify as an illegal labour.So not only Thai Government has lost a lot of income a year, but also looking down upon by an international communty toward a basic Human Rights Principle. 

At the present time of a busy life  no Thai could be able denied theirs need of Shan people to take care old and children, working in the farm growing rice build our accommodation and play a ground role of all competition business and future sources of income.

Do we need them?

Do we listen to them? 

Do we understand theirs human values and development?

Chutchai Rumgaroon

MLC.Secretary

August 17,2007