Pravit Khiengpol, the Director General of the Department of Employment under the Labour Ministry, Thailand made the announcement at a meeting with MWRN held in Talay Thai Market in Mahachai, Samhutsakorn in Thailand on September 1.

Earlier, Myanmar migrant workers were granted a four year Thai work permit after which they had to return to Myanmar. In accordance with Thai law, migrant workers are required to complete a minimum of three year home residency to be eligible to work in Thailand again.

According to Aung  Kyaw, Thai authorities have verbally agreed to revoke this mandate.

Aung Kyaw said, “In the meeting, entitled ‘The future of the migrant workers whose four-year work permits have expired’, they confirmed that migrant workers would be able to extend their permit within a month of expiry. They said they will make a detailed press release after discussions with Myanmar Ministries.”         

Aung Kyaw told Mizzima that during the meeting with Thai delegates, MWRN urged them to enact a suitable law for migrant workers as soon as possible and to set reasonable fees for work permit extension and to facilitate migrant workers' work permit extension in Thailand.

More than 300 people including officials from employment agency in Mahachai, officials from Ministry of Immigration and Population, delegates from Workers’ Unions of Thailand, NGOs and migrant workers attended the meeting.

On August 25, the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok announced that it would provide temporary Myanmar migrant workers' passport renewal service starting from the last week of August, in order to help Myanmar migrants work legally in Thailand.

According to Myo Tint, the Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand, 11 Temporary Passport Issue Offices, which are currently closed, will be re-opened in January 2014 and more Temporary Passport Issue offices will be opened up later.