• 
• 

Published on November 16, 2007

Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin showed the kind of insensitivity toward migrant workers that is shared by many people in this country when he suggested all pregnant migrant workers should be sent back to their countries of origin to give birth. The idea, according to Sonthi, is to prevent authorities having to deal with possible claims to citizenship rights from children born here to foreign parents.

It also reflected the widespread lack of respect for the human rights and dignity of foreign manual workers, who are generally seen as people to be exploited as cheap labour.

The deputy prime minister could have recommended only that immigration police and labour ministry officials intensify the crackdown on illegal migrants from neighbouring countries like Burma, Cambodia and Laos; that illegal immigrants should be sent back to their home countries under the existing laws and regulations. But the fact he actually urged law enforcement officials to target pregnant foreign women for deportation suggests deep-rooted contempt for migrant workers, who have made a positive contribution to the Thai economy in recent years by undertaking work shunned by Thais.

It is still not clear whether Sonthi wants all pregnant foreign workers, regardless of their legal status, repatriated. Either way, such a proposal smacks of discrimination and an abuse of basic human rights and labour rights. Women, particularly those legally registered to work here, should not be discriminated against if they become pregnant.

Even with foreign women who enter the country illegally, law enforcement officials must make decisions on whether they should be deported on a case-by-case basis, with consideration for the safety of the women and their unborn children. In cases where pregnancies are at advanced stage, those foreign women, regardless of their legal status, must be allowed to stay to deliver their child in Thailand. Deporting pregnant illegal foreign workers should take place only after the mother and baby are fit and well enough to travel. This is a matter of human decency and this country, its government and people, must strive to uphold proper standards.

It may well be true, as Sonthi said, that about 2,000 babies have been born to migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province, which is home to more than 100,000 foreign workers. But instead of drawing a scary picture of our country overrun by foreigners to stir xenophobic sentiments among Thais, the government, particularly the Public Health Ministry, should be working harder to promote use of contraceptives and family planning among foreign workers.

There is no reason why public health workers, who are trying hard to promote the use of condoms among Thai manual workers, should not do the same for migrants who live and work in this country. It does not serve Thailand's national interest to have foreign workers with infectious diseases in our midst because eventually some will be passed to us. Thailand as a host country must do all it can to provide not only better working conditions and better pay for foreign workers but also provide them with the same healthcare.

The presence of large numbers of migrant workers in Thailand is a fact of life and most Thai people already know our economy would not be able to function as smoothly without them.

There are other issues related to pregnant foreign workers the government has recently acknowledged and done a much better job on. Since 2005, the government made it a policy to allow children without citizenship to get free public education the same way Thai children do. A Cabinet resolution guarantees the so-called undocumented right to public education, and the government has the duty to allocate a budget for each foreign student, just as it does for Thai students. The resolution says schools cannot deny admission to a student on the basis of his or her undocumented status, or treat such students fundamentally different from those with citizenship.

Thailand has made significant progress in improving the lot of foreign workers although we still have room to improve.But to do lift working conditions and welfare for foreign workers, the country needs to stem the influx of illegal immigrants and better regulate them.

The Nation