• 
• 

Published on September 2, 2007

While a large proportion of Thai students under the Work and Travel (WAT) programme enjoy their cultural exchange in the United States, some have had a bitter experience abroad.

Some have faced labour oppression, broken contracts, bad living conditions and low wages. Worse, there have been unconfirmed reports of deaths, a rape, a pregnancy and a missing person, researcher Thanyaporn Jantaravej of Chulalongkorn University told The Nation.

A senior official at the Foreign Ministry admitted parents of some students had complained to the ministry and some were seeking help to bring their kids home.

Authorities are aware of the problem and are brainstorming to seek a solution. They are concerned about a legal loophole and the unclear status of the students abroad - whether they are classed as students or workers.

Initiated by the US government to promote cultural exchanges between youths in the US and those in developing countries, WAT was introduced into Thailand in 1998.

The programme has become popular among students in leading Thai universities, both state and private, especially those from middle-class families. Each year, more than 10,000 Thai students fly to the US and the figure grows year by year.

"It is a tempting offer for students to have a chance to travel to the US for four months, where they are able to work temporarily and make money while staying there, as well as improving their English," Thanyaporn said.

Students are responsible for their own air fares and accommodation. They are given a special J-1 visa allowing them to stay for not more than four months and to do unskilled work for up to 40 hours per week at a wage of US$6 (Bt206) to $8 per hour.

"I read about the programme on the information board at university, but I did not think about it seriously until I knew that some 30 students from my university would apply - and one was my cousin. Then I decided to join the programme," recalled former WAT student Kamonwan Yarjai, 23.

"It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I applied to work at the circus. During the first weeks, I travelled a lot from one state to another by bus and plane to visit friends and cousins there. Even though I had to work very hard by the end - as long as 14 hours per day - it was great overall."

Kwanmanas Benyathikul, another former WAT student, was not so lucky. When she arrived in the US, she was met by a Russian agent and offered a different job from what she had agreed with a Thai agent. Her only option was to take it so that she could meet her living expenses.

Researcher Thanyaporn, who also experienced the WAT programme directly, said she was told about much worse cases during her research.

"Many students were just sent to the US without an agent to meet them and had to find tickets to return home within 24 hours," she said.

"One boy was raped by a male. One went missing after all his money and his passport were stolen. It is suspected he was forced into the illegal labour market and paid only $1 per hour, unable to contact home because the underground mafia is involved in business. Two males were killed in accidents at their work in the circus. All these cases were unable to be confirmed officially due to various reasons. Parents of the missing boy would not file an official complaint due to fears their son would not be safe."

Sources added that some students were even sent to psychiatric hospitals after being unable to handle their hard work and the different culture. In these cases, their parents had to fly to the US to bring them back to Thailand.

"The problem is confirmed but we don't yet know its magnitude. We can only do our job in protecting Thais abroad, but in this case we cannot help much as there is no legal authority, " admitted Chanchai Jiamboonsri of the Foreign Ministry's Consular Affairs Department.

Thanyaporn concluded in her research that the lack of direct authority and a legal loophole were two key problems that needed to be tackled urgently.

"We also need a policy to control advertisements of such programmes in universities," she said.

Chanchai said there was also a problem with some agents. "Many companies might be professionally operated, but some might not."

Currently, there are as many as 300 companies in Thailand that offer WAT arrangements. Each student's expenses for a three-month trip are between Bt100,000 and Bt200,000. A rough estimate of the value of the WAT business is somewhere between Bt1 billion and Bt2 billion per year.

"That has induced more and more new faces into the business and led to some unprofessional methods," added Chanchai.

Also involved in the scheme are the Labour, Commerce and Education ministries and the Office of the Commission on Higher Education.

A Labour Ministry source said several departments were ordered last week to brainstorm in seeking ways to ease the problems. However, no concrete solution has yet been found.

"At this stage, we have confirmed that WAT students cannot be covered by the Labour Act, as their status is not labour. And their work is temporary - only three months - while the law requires at least one year," the source said.

Chanchai said the Office of the Civil Service Commission had also started discussion of the WAT issue last week.

Pitichai Pongwanit-anan of the Foundation for Consumers said the readiness of Thai students to join such programmes was another issue that should be raised.

"We have to admit that many students are raised in middle-class families and are not used to the hard work they are supposed to do in the US. Many also do not understand the American work culture. This leads to practical problems when they are in the field," he said.

Researcher Thanyaporn added, "We might need to prepare students to be ready to work and travel in America."

Chanchai, however, insisted that WAT was a good programme that should be promoted with efficient management by Thai authorities.

"If we could fix the legal loophole and find out who is the host authority to oversee this group of students, it should be a good cultural exchange and promote related business," he said.

"Apart from the US, similar programmes are being conducted between Thailand and other countries, including Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. That means WAT can be provided all year as the summer periods of those countries are different. We are talking about a multi-billion business."

In the US, there are 13 similar exchange programmes, including one where Thai students can work as babysitters in American families, Thanyaporn added.

Pitichai agreed with Chanchai, but said all current risks must be managed properly under Thai state control before promoting such a programme. Otherwise, the programme would transform into "labour tourism" and the first step to serious cross-border human trafficking.

Kamol Sukin

The Nation