PP urges migrant labour management reforms - Bangkok Post
People's Party (PP) leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has condemned an attack on a migrant workers' protest leader, calling for reforms to ease registration burdens and curb corruption.
Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said on Monday that violence against protesters was unacceptable, regardless of their political views.
"As long as we believe in the rule of law and a democratic system, physical violence, regardless of differences in opinion, is unacceptable," he said.
His remarks followed Sunday's assault on Veera Saengthong, a leader of the Bright Future migrant workers' group, outside the United Nations office on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.
Mr Natthaphong said migrant workers were essential to Thailand's economy, but registration loopholes and corruption involving officials were placing unnecessary burdens on workers and employers.
He called for a comprehensive migrant worker database, a review of occupations reserved for Thai nationals and better integration measures, including Thai-language training.
Nilubon Pongpayom, representing the White Employers Group, said passport-related fees for Myanmar workers had risen from 310 baht to 2,670 baht, partly because Myanmar authorities imposed additional taxes.
She alleged that brokers at Certificate of Identity (CI) centres demanded unofficial payments of 1,350–1,500 baht, while workers faced an additional 2% income levy, equivalent to about 6,000 baht per person, purportedly benefiting Myanmar's military government. Around 700,000 workers needed to complete CI registration, while more than one million faced expiring passports, she said.
People's Party MP Sahassawat Kumkong urged the Labour Ministry to bring CI centres under Thai supervision and consider abolishing them altogether. He also called for amendments to immigration and migrant labour laws.
Pisan Manawapat, the party's shadow foreign minister, accused the government of being overly accommodating towards Myanmar's military leadership.
The party's shadow cabinet proposed five measures, including challenging Myanmar's 2% income tax under international law and the 2002 bilateral double taxation agreement, temporarily easing identity-document requirements and reviewing Thailand's diplomatic approach. It also urged stronger action on cross-border shelling, narcotics and river pollution linked to Myanmar's prolonged conflict.
Sunday's assault occurred during a protest demanding the abolition of CI centres. Video footage showed a group of people attacking Mr Veera and accusing him of causing unrest in Thailand, before police intervened.
