The real cause of Thailand’s slave-labour problem
Play
The incredible increase of the national minimum wage to Bt300 per day a few years ago has made Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck the darlings of the majority of voters. However, the consequences of this reckless government policy were horrific.
The higher wage made many workers happy, but it has also caused labourers in neighbouring countries to become even more wide-eyed with envy. They know that, to earn the equivalent of a day’s pay in Thailand, they must do two, three or even four days of hard work in their own country.
Hence, migrant labourers from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and even Vietnam have flocked to Thailand in massive numbers looking for jobs. Most are happy to be paid Bt250 a day or even less.
No further explanation is needed for the roots of the slave-labour situation and the mass murders of Muslim Rohingya migrants in Thailand over the past few years.
Vint Chavala
