Cabinet okays Bt476m budget for evacuees

The government yesterday approved a Bt476million budget for the Foreign and Labour ministries to provide emergency aid and compensation to Thai workers fleeing the turmoil in Libya.The Foreign Ministry was allotted Bt403 million to cover transportation expenses to evacuate most of the 23,600 Libyabased Thai workers, while the remainder would be spent on giving qualified workers Bt15,000 each in compensation via the Labour Ministry.

Deputy secretary to the PM Panitarn Watthanayakorn, defending the authorities' slow progress in providing assistance, said most Thai workers were scattered around Libya and many of the camps were located in areas where clashes had erupted. "Workers from other countries, who usually work and live in the same location, are easier to evacuate," he explained.

He added that a number of Thai workers had decided to stay behind in the hope that they could resume work once the situation returns to normal.

In addition to workers flying out of Libya with the help of their employers, the first shipment of evacuees began yesterday when 2,000 Thai workers boarded a ship that is expected to hit Tunisian shores today. The governmentchartered vessel is scheduled to take another 2,000 workers, before both groups are brought back to Thailand on either commercial carriers or military jets provided by the Thai military.

Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey will be lenient in granting visas to Thai workers awaiting evacuation, the Foreign Ministry's Europe Department said yesterday after meeting respective ambassadors.

The department's directorgeneral, Bussaba Matlaeng, said permission has been secured in advance just in case Thai workers were placed temporarily on Spanish soil or Spaingoverned seaports in the three other countries. Thai workers who have lost their passports have been given a special pass that will be accepted by the four countries, she added.

Yesterday, 1,139 workers arrived on Thai soil after the first batch of 505 evacuees were safely delivered on Sunday.

The Labour Ministry has advised those who qualify for the Bt15,000 compensation to register at provincial labour offices. Those who can produce personal and fundrelated documents can get cash payment in three days. The workers' relatives can also provide the documentation.

The ministry can be contacted through the 1679 hotline during office hours on weekdays, and via (085) 481 02435, (080) 222 19834 and (080) 230 0697 round the clock.

There are a large number of jobs available in Taiwan that would be preserved for Thai workers whose contracts were brought to an early end in Libya, the Department of Employment said. The number of vacancies will be announced by March 14, after a meeting with Labour Minister Chalermchai Srion and Taiwanese officials, DoE deputy directorgeneral Sumeth Mahosot said.

He added that each worker would only be given the Bt15,000 compensation once. "The Cabinet has approved the new budget only to top up an existing fund to cover the payments," he said.