Myanmar authorities have vowed to speed up the process of verifying the nationality of their citizens so they can apply for proper working visas in Thailand following reports of a large backlog of people waiting to register, says the Department of Employment.
Waranon Pitiwan, the department's director-general, said Labour Minister Sirichai Distakul was concerned about the long waits. Officials have been instructed to contact Myanmar authorities to address the issue, Mr Waranon said.
The ministry consulted the labour attache at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok about the problem and authorities said they would do more to help process people and hand out certificates of identity (CI), he added.
Verification centres in Ranong, Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan will also get a boost so they can distribute up to 1,400 CIs each per day, Myanmar authorities said yesterday.
There are on average 1,000 people at any given time waiting to receive their CI at each of the centres in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Nakhon Sawan and Songkhla, reports suggest.
Workers must pay 560 baht for the process, Mr Waranon said. Of that, 450 baht is for the work permit document, 100 baht is for processing the application and 10 baht is a service fee.
They must also find another 1,500 baht: 500 baht for their Thai visa, 500 baht for their medical check-up, and a final 500 baht for their health insurance.
A total of 26,839 Myanmar workers have received work permit documents at the centres from Sept 15 to Monday.
Myanmar nationals permitted to work in Thailand are obliged to pay contributions to the social security fund, which insures them against work accidents and ailments. It also entitles them to benefits such as maternity support and a welfare fund for the unemployment.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has also expressed concern over reports that Myanmar workers are able to jump the long queues a the centres by bringing officials. He said he had ordered the Labour Ministry to look into the allegation.
Rachada Dhnadirek, a former Democrat Party MP for Bangkok, complained that domestic workers from Myanmar were being treated unfairly.
At the centre in Bang Na district they queued from 10am to 9pm and still could not get their paperwork verified, she said, adding staff told them to return the following day.
Ms Rachada urged the ministry to find ways to trim the queues.
