An estimated 3 to 4 million Myanmar migrants work legally or illegally in Thailand and have come under the spotlight recently due to their alleged bad treatment in the Thai fishing industry and in factories, and the high-profile case of two migrants charged with the murder of two British tourists.

General (Rtd) Prayuth is making his first foreign trip as prime minister under the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), a military junta that seized power in Thailand in May.

On the occasion of the visit, the Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN) has called on the two leaders to discuss the need for respect for migrant workers rights.

In a press release issued October 8, MWRN called for attention to migrant worker regulations in Thailand and the problem of brokers and corruption.

MWRN says Myanmar should urgently abort its plan to require migrants holding temporary passports to apply for new regular passports and instead work with Thailand to extend duration of temporary passports and formulate effective cheap visa extension processes.

Both sides should discuss how to ensure effective and increased access to basic labour and human rights provided under Thai law for all migrant workers in Thailand, according to the statement.

Both sides should commit to a plan to effectively punish Thai and Myanmar brokers, agencies and corrupt government officials who continue to systematically exploit migrants with impunity and both
sides should ensure irregular workers arrested in Thailand be deported directly and legally to the Myanmar government.

The workers’ rights group also calls on the Myanmar government to assign embassy staff in Bangkok who are willing to effectively and ethically work for the genuine benefit of Myanmar migrant workers.

MWRN was founded in 2009 by a group of migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand. Membership of MWRN is currently 3,886 workers.