Human Rights Protection for Return and Reintegration of Thai Migrant Workers from Malaysia during the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)

Abstract

                  The purposes of the article are to study situations faced by Thai migrant workers from Malaysia after returning to Thailand during the coronavirus pandemic and to study the roles of various related organizations in human rights protection for their return and reintegration. The study employed a qualitative research method by using in-depth interviews, observation, and document review.
          The results of the research demonstrated that the related organizations can play some roles in human rights protection for the return and reintegration of Thai migrant workers from Malaysia due to the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic and economic recession in general. The effected Thai migrant workers faced unemployment, depression, and domestic violence. In addition, the failure comes from the problems of undocumented Thai migrant workers and the enforcement of special laws for internal security control in some migrant workers' hometowns. The research findings can provide some suggestions to meet effective human rights protection for Thai migrant workers' return and reintegration. The Thai government must formulate an emergency plan for Thai migrant workers, with the Ministry of Labor serving as the host and collaborating with other government agencies, private companies, and civil society organizations. The plan must also be written following international guidelines for the human rights of migrant workers and taking into consideration the socio-political context of the Thai southern border provinces that have situations of violence and special laws. In addition, the data of Thai migrant workers must be updated in conjunction with the campaign to give these migrant workers legal status under the bilateral memorandum of understanding.