Thai authorities are stepping up their campaign against human traffickers who continue smuggl-ing large numbers of migrants from neighbouring countries.
They are issuing arrest wa-rrants for people smugglers whose assets will be seized if they are convicted of human trafficking, money laundering and other crimes, according to Labour Minister Suchart Chom-klin.
In addition, the Ministry of Labour is seeking to make it easier for migrant workers to enter Thailand legally in order to discourage migrants from relying on people smugglers for entry.
“Migrant workers should not have to wait longer than three weeks before they can enter the country legally under new me-morandums of understanding [between Thailand and its neighbours],” Suchart said at a press conference this week.
Under these pacts with Myan-mar, Laos and Cambodia, up to 80,000 migrant workers from these nations will be allowed to work in Thailand in the first phase, especially in sectors such as construction and food processing that are experiencing severe labor shortages.
At the same time, however, large numbers of migrants continue streaming illegally into Thailand through porous national borders despite stepped-up border patrol measures.
Last week alone, nearly 3,000 illegal crossings were detected, though many more are likely to have managed to stay undetected.
The migrants told police that had each paid either 25,000 baht (US$760) or 26,000 baht to job brokers before entering Thailand with the help of smugglers.