Myanmar workers' bank accounts books in Thailand embezzled
CNI News
15 June 2024
Because agents who maintained bank accounts and bank books of Myanmar workers embezzled, the Thai authorities have issued arrest warrants for the Myanmar workers, stated the Myanmar Embassy.
As agents got fees from the gamblers and those who want to launder money and gave them the bank accounts of the workers, a large amount of deposits, withdrawals and savings occurred in the bank accounts of the workers.
So, the Thai authorities issued arrest warrants for owners, Myanmar citizens, of the bank accounts, said in the statement released by the embassy.
This kind of case has not been found in the southern part of Thailand; when the workers entrusted their bank accounts books and ATMs to their employers or agents, some workers entrusted by mutual agreement and others were forced to entrust, U Min Oo, in charge of labor affairs from the Foundation for Education and Development, told CNI News.
Garment factory workers
" We haven't found here any arrests by the authorities about it. Workers should keep their own bank account books by themselves. I don't know how they have kept their bank account books. I wonder whether they have entrusted their bank account books to the companies according to the contract. It might be likely. But it doesn't make sense so much. Fishing workers usually haven't seen their bank account books. Their employers largely tend to keep the books according to an agreement." he said.
Myanmar MoU workers who have held PJ passports have to open bank accounts at the banks arranged by MoU companies when they arrive in Thailand.
Because the workers don't know thoroughly bank procedures, they have to carry out what some representatives from the MoU companies say and the representatives have kept the bank account books reportedly.
Because of these representatives' embezzlement, Myanmar workers who were owners of the bank account books were issued arrest warrants and detained and some of them were absconding, said in the statement by the embassy.
Fishing workers
Myanmar migrant workers who have arrived in Thailand should not use other people' names when they open bank accounts in Thailand and buy SIM cards there, U Aung Kyaw from the Labor Rights Foundation (LRF), told CNI News.
" When you register your phone SIM card, your resume information should be used. And then, when you open your bank account, you have to open with the SIM. But when you you use SIM cards that have already been registered with the names of unknown people, you may face problems." he said.
The Thai Ministry of Labor has approved to issue new Thai pink ID cards to undocumented migrant workers including ones from Myanmar, announced the Thai government on 6th June, 2024.
The undocumented migrant workers who will receive Thai pink ID that will permit to work must be migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; they must have arrived in Thailand and they must have been working for their employers reportedly.
