The first batch of 226 Cambodian migrant workers to be hired under a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour cooperation between the Thai and Cambodian governments will arrive on Tuesday.
The government signed an MoU with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar last December to ensure a good balance between containing the spread of Covid-19 and responding to growing demand for migrant workers, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said.
These Cambodian workers are to be brought in at the request of employers in Chon Buri and Ayutthaya, he said. A total of 220 workers will be sent to employers in Chon Buri and the other six workers will be sent to Ayutthaya, he said.
Upon arriving in Thailand through the immigration checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province, these workers will first have to spend seven days in a Covid-19 quarantine centre as required under standard Covid-19 control protocols, he said.
The centre, in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district, has 200 rooms that can take up to 500 people, said Pairoj Chotikasathien, director-general of the Department of Employment. The service, at a cost of 8,500 baht per person, also includes three meals a day and a transfer service from the checkpoint to the centre, he said.
All such workers should have received two shots of Covid-19 vaccine prior to their departure from Cambodia. For those who have not, they will be vaccinated while staying at the centre.
These new migrant workers along with those who previously entered the kingdom illegally and were later permitted to register to work legally will begin working from Feb 13. Mr Suchart urged those employers looking for migrant workers to contact the department.
