Stop blaming migrant workers

The latest border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, as well as the influx of refugees fleeing unrest in Myanmar, is triggering nationalistic fears that foreigners will take away jobs and social services from locals. Yet we must understand that migrant workers are not our enemy.

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The situation in Mae Sot, a busy border town in Tak province, opposite Myanmar, is a glaring example.

Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, lawmaker and deputy leader of the opposition People's Party (PP), recently took to social media to post about a recent trip there. In it, he noted illegal border crossings, corruption, land grabs, fake businesses by call centre mafias and migrant-run businesses that make locals less competitive.

Some netizens praised his effort to expose crime and corruption, but labour rights experts warn his views on migrant workers may fuel a dangerous form of nationalism and miss the real issue behind the matter: outdated laws and a corrupt employment system.

With his post, Mr Wiroj has a point. Mae Sot is a hub of crime and exploitation. Local officials routinely take bribes from undocumented workers and underworld bosses. Some migrant-run shops skip taxes and permits. Rich criminals can buy their way out of sticky situations, but poor migrants have no power to protect themselves.

These problems are real, but blaming migrants never makes the problem go away.