Organization: Central Michigan University
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Fri, 18 Dec 1992 08:45:56 EST
From:         Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Subject:      TH: Crackdown on job placement agencies

=======================  Forwarded  Message  ===========================
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 01:03:37+0700
From: Kamol Hengkietisak <kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th>
Subject: Bangkok Post Dec 18: Interior to revamp job placement agencies


THE Interior Ministry is expected to launch another major crackdown on
illegal job placement agencies nationwide next week, reliable ministry
sources said yesterday.

The crackdown will be part of a campaign initiated by Deputy Interior
Minister Suthas Ngernmuen to stop unscrupulous local job brokers'
exploitation of workers seeking employment in Taiwan.

Mr Suthas recently ordered the closure of 24 job agencies after it was
discovered they had charged exorbitant commissions from those seeking
jobs in Taiwan.

Mr Suthas told the House Labour and Social Welfare Committee yesterday
he had found to his surprise that many of the shut-down job agencies
had shareholders with the same family names as those of many MPs.

One of the shareholders was a close associate of a secretary-general
of a major political party, he said.

Sources present at yesterday's House committee meeting said at least
five shareholders of a job placement agency shared an  Udon Thani MP's
family name, while a shareholder of another job agency bore the family
name of an Angthong MP.

"From our examination of 12 of the 24 jop placement companies, it was
found that many of them have influential persons as shareholders. Some
are senior persons whom we had never expected to have an interest in a
job placement business," Mr Suthas told the House committee meeting.

He insisted that most job agencies which send workers to Taiwan have
been operating illegally, but only 24 were closed down because they
were the first against which enough evidence had been obtained.

He said the Interior Ministry had to act on the problem quickly to it
from hurting the Thai labour export opportunity to Taiwan.

Thailand has been given a quota to send 30,000 workers to Taiwan next
year.

Mr Suthas said he was told by workers that they had to pay their
brokers up to 80,000 baht each to get a job with a salary of 13,000
baht in Taiwan.

The agencies ha overcharged job seekers because they had to compete
among themselves for quotas from job brokers in Taiwan, he said.

There were fewer job agencies in Indonesia and the Philipines, he
said, so they could charge smaller commissions since there was no
fierce competition.

Mr Suthas added that the high commission rate had caused many Thai
workers  to suffer mental stress because of their huge debts to their
brokers.

This affected their performance, and their low productivity upset
their Taiwanese employers, Mr Suthas said.

Taiwan has promised to help work out measures to prevent its brokers
from charging too high commissions from their Thai counterparts, he
said.

Mr Suthas also told the committee he had received complaints that
Special Branch policemen in charge of examining job seekers' personal
records had charged them more fees than allowed by law.

The Interior Ministry will study whether the rate can be reduced and
whether job seekers' medical checkup fees can be fixed to prevent
overcharging, he said.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: (no subject given)