28 March 2013 - Several hundred Burmese migrant workers at a shrimp factory in Thailand are protesting what they say is exploitation by Burmese and Thai employment agencies. The roughly 500 workers at a factory owned by Thai firm CPF in Rayong Province said they are legally employed under a bilateral agreement between Burma and Thailand, but face exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous agents
28 March 2013 - Malaysiakini. All workers in Malaysia must be entitled to receive minimum wages, and a delay of this right to migrant workers as stated in the media report entitled ‘SMEs may defer minimum wages for foreign workers until Dec 31’ (New Straits Times, March 20, 2013) is unacceptable.
28 March 2013 - New Straits Times. Employers in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been allowed to defer the implementation of minimum wages for their foreign workers.
27 March 2013 - Inquirer News, Philippines. Act on the little-noticed stream of underage Filipinas recruited clandestinely from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), urges the new study, “Filipino Youth and the Employment-Migration Nexus.” Scalabrini Migration Center prepared this analysis for United Nations Children’s Fund.
27 March 2013 - Radio Australia. In a landmark decision, Hong Kong's highest court has ruled against granting residency to domestic workers. The decision by five judges in the Court of Final Appeal has dashed the hopes of maids and home helps who aspire to be permanent residents of Hong Kong.
27 March 2013 - The Island, Sri Lanka. The South Asia Core Group on Gender Responsive Labour Migration Management (SAGGRLMM) said last week that the number of women from South Asia migrating in search of better livelihood opportunities to support their families was on the increase.
26 March 2013 - AllAfrica.com. Ecowas extends social security to migrant workers to facilitate intra-regional mobility.
26 March 2013 - Philstar.com. MANILA, Philippines - Hong Kong is seeking more migrant workers as it opens career opportunities for Filipino engineers, entertainers, performers and architects.
26 March 2013 - Pattaya Mail. Thailand's private sector has called on the police to refrain from arresting migrant workers who are in the process of applying for employment licences before next month’s deadline.
25 March 2013 - Reuters Alert Net. Delegates from the region and beyond have highlighted the need for greater practical cooperation to address rising levels of irregular maritime movements in the Asia-Pacific region.
25 March 2013 - Channel News Asia. Singapore, The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has urged employers to be "sensible and reasonable" when implementing the Job Flexibility Scheme that allows foreign workers across the services industry to take on multiple job roles.
25 March 2013 - Himalayan Times. UN Women has urged South Asian and Gulf countries to work together in safeguarding women migrant workers in the Gulf region. South Asian and Gulf governments‚ private sector‚ and international and civil society organisations should work together for the safety of women migrant workers‚ said a release by UN Women on Regional Consultation on Safe Mobility of Women Migrants in New Delhi‚ India‚ last week.
20 March 2013 - Financial Express, Bangladesh. Remittances sent home by migrant workers have played a significant role in reducing poverty in most countries including the least developed one like Bangladesh, said a senior official of the United Nations.
18 March 2013 - Philstar.com. The Philippines will be one of the four beneficiaries in the P86-million financing from the European Union to manage migration flows.
The Project on Enhancing Laor Migration Management Systems in Asia, which would be implemented by the International Organization for Migration in cooperation wih UN Women and the Department of Labor and Employment in the Philippines, seeks to "support the government's program to encourage the recruitment industry to adopt ethical practices," and to "intensify the campaign against illegal recruitment, trafficking and irregular migration, especially to Europe, " among others.
18 March 2013 - Karen News. Burmese migrant workers from a garment factory in the Thai border town of Mae Sot were threatened and then sacked by their employer earlier this week over a salary dispute
