CNI News

22 August 2023

The statement about the overseas workers identification card (OWIC) of Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand was unclear to Myanmar migrant workers, those who are helping migrant workers said to CNI News. 

Myanmar Embassy would not ask 250 bahts for an OWIC card starting from 18th August anymore when migrant workers who are four years full of MoU and are holding passports for job (PJ) renew their passports, said in its statement. 

It is unclear among the Myanmar migrant workers whether the statement means the embassy will no longer issue the OWIC cards or it will issue the OWICs free of charge reportedly.

Front side of the OWIC card

Whenever Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok or military embassy in Chinmai release statements, we don't see anything useful for Myanmar migrant workers. 

“Instead of solving the problems on the ground real-time, it's like only when we recover, they come and give the medicine. when the Myanmar migrant workers went back to their country, on the friendship bridges between the two countries or at the other border areas, they had to pay the brokers 2,500 to 3,000 bahts to get an OWIC card. But at that time, they didn't issue any statements like this. At present, OWIC cards don't apply in Thailand anymore." said Ko Thar Gyi, a person helping migrant workers.

Although Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok doesn't ask money for OWIC cards when it performs passport renewal, migrant workers must apply for OWIC cards at the relevant labor offices when they get back to Myanmar and go abroad again.

Back side of the OWIC card

According to the statement, Myanmar migrant workers whose MoU are about to expire must go back to Myanmar and renew through previous U-turn program, said U Aung Kyaw, an official from the Labor Rights Foundation to CNI News.

"All Myanmar MoU workers who signed the contract in Myanmar must go back to Myanmar to renew, which especially they want to tell. As Thailand has signed that, all MoU workers whose four-year terms are full must go back to their native countries. In the early years, as we all know, because of the outbreak of Kovid-19 pandemic, people were not allowed to cross the border between the two countries. So, workers were allowed to go on staying. Now that there is no more Covid-19, the Thai side has said that the workers must go back to their native countries after four years and sign a new contract according to MoU." he said.

Myanmar Embassy should release its statements clearly so that migrant workers can understand and beware of not to make the brokers 'role bigger, said the people helping Myanmar migrant workers.