Na Mi, of the Thai-based Migrant Assistance Program, said that all migrant workers must find employers and apply for official work permits. No worker without a permit will be allowed to remain in Thailand. She added that no new foreign workers will be allowed to register who did not also register during the previous year.

Registration for migrant workers is allowed at any local government office, and applications for work permits can be processed within 24 hours, Director-General of the Department of Employment Chuthatawat Indrasuksri is quoted as saying in Bangkok’s English language newspaper the Nation.

Thai authorities warn that any worker who does not register by the June 30 deadline risks arrest and deportation, and employers of unregistered workers face a maximum of three years in jail or a fine of up to 60,000 Baht (US $1,500).

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, about 1.2 million foreign workers registered in Thailand in 2004, of which 900,000 were from Burma.

Thailand’s latest push to document migrant workers in the country follows a similar campaign initiated last year.

Na Mi said that last year’s deadline was not strictly enforced. While most workers obtained permission to remain in Thailand, many did not formally apply for work permits, though the police made few arrests. This year, many believe that Thai authorities will be far less lax in enforcing the June 30 deadline.

Na Mi has also complained that working conditions for Thailand’s migrant communities are unsafe, and that migrant workers receive less in wages than the official minimum wage.

The minimum daily wage in Thailand—set by the government—is 175 Baht in Bangkok; 173 Baht in Phuket; 149 Baht in Chiang Mai, 147 Baht in Ranong; and 139 Baht in Mae Sot.