Thai authorities have issued extension of work permits for migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos where they are to receive one year work-permits to work in Thailand, according to a document received by Chiangmai based Migrant Assistance Program (MAP).

On January 7, authorities from the Department of Employment (DOE) in Thailand announced that there are 88,787 migrant workers whose work permits will expire in 2009. They are requested to prepare the necessary documents such as the old work permit (pink card) or receipt of the work permit registration, medical certificate or receipt of medical checkup and insurance, and application form Tor Thor 13.

The report said that the work-permits must be extended by the scheduled date from 5 to 20 January, 2 to 28 February, 4 May to 30 June 2009 depending on when their existing work permits expire. In February 2010 all Burmese migrants will have to return to their home country to apply for a new system of legal work-permit papers from the Burmese authorities.

On January 6 at 20:00 hours local authorities in Chiangmai called on representatives of the Workers Solidarity Association (WSA) also based in Chiangmai to discuss work permits to be issued by the Burmese junta, according to Sai Hawm Khurh from WSA.

"They (Thai authorities) said there won't be an extension of work permits again next year. So, they have started to collect names (of current workers) to begin work under this new system. They told us to give our names to apply," said Sai Hawm Khurh.

"We will be in the cross fire, if they (Thai authorities) really do as they say," he said. If this new system is implemented, migrant workers will be unable to stay or work in Thailand because their old permit has expired. They will also be under threat of persecution by Burmese officials, upon their return to their hometowns.

The passport registration offices are planned to be opened along the Thai-Burma border in Myawaddy, Tachilek and Kawthawng.

Thai authorities could also move a work-permit registration office from Tachilek to Chiangmai, in northern Thailand, to accommodate migrants who don't want to go to the border, said Sai Hawm Khurh.

"However, we would like to stress that we are still afraid to believe this new information due to lessons learnt from the past," he added.

Thailand and Burma agreed to set up nationality identification centres for Burmese migrant workers in 2006.  However, the two countries failed to successfully implement the agreement. Instead when the migrant workers returned to their homes in Burma, junta authorities terrorized their families coercing them to pay bribes, after using their personal information received through the work permit process, to find their relatives.

Thailand had also set up centres with the governments of Laos and Cambodia. These centers have so far processed some 70,000 Lao and Cambodian workers and registered them with the Thai Labour Department, according to a report from Irrawaddy in November 2008.