Many undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar have come to five stations and three mobile units in Thailand for the Certificate of Identity (CI) service since the morning of 23 February, according to an activist for Myanmar workers in Thailand.
Five CI issuing stations are located in Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Chonburi, Patong, and Surat Province, and three mobile units are stationed in Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan, and Songkhla.
“Nearly 800 workers came to CI station in Samut Prakan alone to apply for the booklets. That is just the first day. Workers with Thai Pink Card IDs (called baht-stamped persons by Myanmar migrants) will only be able to travel conveniently from one district to another if they obtain a CI booklet. With CI, they can even return home by plane, so most Myanmar migrants are waiting to get it,” he said.
The issuance of CI was witnessed and supported by Myanmar Ambassador U Myint Swe, Labour Attaché U Myo Min Aung, and officials from United KMK and Partner Associates International Co Ltd.
“Every station will be crowded as there will be many applicants. That is an opportunity. Workers from our country will find it easier to get a job while the state will earn foreign revenue,” he added.
As many people have entered Thailand illegally, Thai authorities have tightened security at the border and stepped up the arrest of illegal migrants, as they have frequently done in the past. — MT/ZN/ED
