RANONG: Myanmar specialists visited Ranong in order to repatriate 670 illegal workers after they held a protest upon Jan 28 regarding being detained and demanded they end up being returned to their homeland, marking the biggest this kind of transfer of migrant workers to date within the province.
Officials from each sides, including Ranong administrative officers, observed the departure from the first batch associated with workers from Ranong Customs House Boat dock. They were set to get to Myanmar’s Kawthaung town on Thursday via the authority’s motor boats. The 670 employees comprise 534 men and 136 women.
According to RAdm Suchart Thampitakwet, mouthpiece commander of the Third Naval Area Control, they had been held at the province’s migration checkpoint for 4 to 6 months.
All were charged with illegal immigration and were waiting around to be deported, mentioned the deputy commander of the Immigration Bureau’s Ranong Office, Pol Lt Gen Phitsanu Biakaew.
Pol Lt Gen Phitsanu said Myanmar has measures in position that only enable 100 to 200 people to return during a period.
But for some reason, the country stopped accepting repatriations, so Thailand’s Immigration Bureau was not able to send the employees home, he stated.
On Jan 28, they protested with paper indications stating they wanted to go home. Some shouted similar messages from the rooftop of their building. All of them are now anticipated to be sent back simply by next week.