"Gov’t: Thousands of migrant workers ‘not received rights’", 13 December 2018

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng … said there are still thousands of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand who have not received the full legitimate rights that could protect them from abuses.

…, he said was despite the two countries having laid out procedures and mechanism through a memorandum of understanding to provide legitimacy for their employment…

Sar Kheng said that since July of last year, more than 500,000 workers have been granted legal documents…

“Providing legitimacy in this phase is only a temporary solution because as of now, only around 400,000 workers have been covered in the memorandum of understanding [MoU] between the two countries,” he said.

Sar Kheng noted that Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand’s fishing industry are the most vulnerable. He said a separate mechanism is needed to protect them.

“Workers in the fishing industry are most vulnerable to abuses. We need a separate agreement [with Thailand] which is of benefit to both [Thai] employers and [Cambodian] workers,” he said…

Dy The Hoya, a senior official at labour rights group Central, echoed Sar Kheng’s concerns.

“They can be arrested by Thai police [for working without permits] and repatriated. So they have to live in hiding and face exploitation.

“In order for the workers to receive legitimacy, I think the government needs to decrease passport fees and increase the number of passport offices,” he said.