Deport first and discuss later," declared Gen Chettha Thanajaro. Thailand's Army. Army Commander-in-Chief was voicing his support for a plan to repatriate nearly 1million foreign laborers, most of whom are Burmese.

Confusion arose when the Thai Labor Ministry requested Cabinet approval to relax the repatriation of illegal immigrants. Earlier, the Ministry had announced that the labourers would be forced out by May 1.

As more and more Burmese go to Thailand in pursuit of relative freedom from persecution and poverty, Burma's closet neighbor is seeking new ways to address the root causes of their immigrant problem.

An international symposium on migration in Asia was recently held in Bangkok. Burma sent a delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win. Independent analysts and NGOs estimate that there are one million Burmese illegally working and living in Thailand. However, Thai officials put the figure at 800,000.

Thai university professor and international law expert, Vitit Muntarbhorn, looks at the application of labour standards as they relate to migrant workers in Thailand. Professor Vitit concludes with a series of 12 recommendations for both government and non-government sectors. This publication also contains copies of all six sub-regional, bilateral, MOUs on counter trafficking and employment cooperation...
"...Migrant workers can contribute greatly to their home and destination countries, if the process is well managed and

Thai factory owners face huge claims after judge rules for Burmese migrants.

About 200 Thai factories employing migrant Burmese workers are braced to meet compensation claims amounting to many millions of dollars following the success of a legal action brought by 18 employees in Thailand’s Tak Province.

The Burmese migrants were awarded a total of 1,170,000 baht (US $29,250) in compensation for unpaid back wages owed by their employer, the Nut Knitting Ltd Partnership in Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burmese border.

Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok, Thailand

A Comparative Study of Land Rights Systems in Southeast
Asia and the Potential of National and International Legal
Frameworks and Guidelines....."Land rights systems in Southeast Asia are in constant
flux; they respond to various socioeconomic and political pressures and to changes in statutory and customary
law. Over the last decade, Southeast Asia has become
one of the hotspots of the global land grab phenomenon,
accounting for about 30 percent of transnational land
grabs globally. Land grabs by domestic urban elites,

I. Executive Summary;
II. Introduction;
III. Thailand: Background.
IV. Burma: Background.
V. Project Methodology;
VI. Findings:
Hill Tribe Women and Girls in Thailand; Burmese Migrant Women and Girls in Thailand;
VII. Law and Policy – Thailand;
VIII. Applicable International Human Rights Law;
IX. Law and Policy – United States
X. Conclusion and Expanded Recommendations..."This study was designed to provide critical insight and
remedial recommendations on the manner in which

Very rich site with many resources..."In a world where billions of people live outside the protection of the law, Namati is building a global movement of grassroots legal advocates who work with communities to advance justice. These advocates are solving problems on the front lines to ensure that people can protect their land, access essential services, and take part in the decisions that govern their lives...

Abstract:
Millions of people from Burma have migrated into neighboring countries over the past decade.
Most have left their country in search of security and safety as a direct result of internal conflict
and militarization, severe economic hardship and minority persecution. This exodus represents
one of the largest migration flows in Southeast Asia.
Fearing persecution, the vast majority of those migrating from Burma find themselves desperate
to survive, obtaining work in underground and, often, illegal labor markets. The majority of those

Unregistered ancestral lands and those under shifting cultivation will be protected under draft policy and protected from confiscation under under a draft land use policy, a change land rights groups say would be a major step forward for tenure security.