Rights of migrant workers to be discussed at government seminar

A national seminar on systems for handling migrant workers and protecting their rights in Thailand will be held in Bangkok on Monday 9 July 2007.

The event will be opened by Thailand ’s Minster of Labour, Mr Apai Chandanchulaka, and Mr Bill Salter, Director of the ILO Sub-regional Office for East Asia .

The meeting is being organized as a follow-up to the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, which was signed by the ASEAN[1] countries in January this year. The Declaration committed the member states to protect the fundamental human rights, of migrant workers in ASEAN, promote their welfare and uphold their dignity. They also pledged themselves to take concrete measures against human smuggling and trafficking, and to introduce stiffer penalties.

A keynote address on issues related to the protection of Thai workers abroad and migrant workers in Thailand and priorities for action, will be given by Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, the international human rights expert and Professor of Law from Chulalongkorn University.

The “National Seminar on the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers” is jointly organized by the Ministry of Labour and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations agency that deals with work and work place issues.

It takes place at the Grand Mercure Hotel, Bangkok from 9.00 – 15.30 on Monday 9 July. The meeting is open to the media.

For more information please contact:

Pracha Vasuprasat
Chief Technical Advisor
ILO/Japan Migration Project
e-mail
Tel: 02 288 1740