Laos, SE Asia (transversed by Mekong River).

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Introduction.

LIDC of 6.8 million people. It is a poor country (GDP per capita US$1,660, 2014) with 73 per cent employed in agriculture. Although a communist state, it has been a member of ASEAN since 1997 and increasingly has encouraged private enterprise. Net migration loss is 1.1 migrants per 1000 population, 2014. Remittances bring much needed income, but human trafficking is a major problem for the government.

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Main reasons for emigration.

In 2013, 1.29 million Laos-born emigrants, mainly in Thailand, and only 20,000 immigrants, mainly Vietnamese, in Laos.
Many of those working on the land are subsistence farmers, held no promise of financial gain or personal independence (Figure 7.23).

  • There is a lack of alternative rural-based occupations.
  • There is insufficient land available for farming and periodic droughts leading to food insecurity.
  • There is a strong motivation to follow others who have returned from migrations.
  • The daily minimum wage in Thailand is 300 baht compared with 80 baht in Laos; average monthly earnings for Laos migrants in Thailand is approximately 6800 baht.
  • Migrant remittances are the main source of familial income.
  • Low levels of education in Laos mean that many unsuited for speciality jobs; there is insatiable demand for unskilled labour in Thailand’s rapidly growing economy.
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Migration.

The migrations have been made easier by:

  • familiarity with Thai culture and language
  • improved access across the Mekong
  • use of ‘brokers’ to reach the Thai border and access employment in Thailand.

Migration to Laos from neighbouring countries, especially Vietnam, is largely the result of employment opportunities in the government-driven, World Bank-funded programmes linking the countries in the region by highways, bridges and tunnels. Many Vietnamese immigrants work in construction and mining.

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Migration policies.

Source country for human trafficking. In 2013, 36 per cent of the population were under fifteen, therefore there are an increasing number of entrants into the work force in a country where opportunities are limited. The vulnerability of young migrants to forced labour and sex exploitation in Thailand is of major concern to the government and international organisations. A recent development is the ‘trafficking’ of under-age footballers from Liberia to Laos to play for Champasak United.
Government policies have been ineffective; many young migrants do not obtain the required passport and risk fines on return. However, the Lao PDR Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, and the Ministry of Public
Security now work in co-operation with the IOM, UN agencies such as ILO, UNICEF and UN Women and international NGOs such as CARE International (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere), Save the Children and World Vision to implement a more stringent anti-trafficking policy.

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National Plan of Action for Human Trafficking

The National Plan of Action for Human Trafficking led by the Lao PDR government has three strands:

  • Prevention – awareness campaigns, education, child protection, alleviation of poverty reducing the need to migrate
  • Protection – repatriation and reintegration of returning migrants, including shelters for women who may need counselling
  • Prosecution – investigation of trafficking networks, training border officials, strengthening legal framework
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Interdependence of ASEAN Countries.

ASEAN countries are becoming increasingly interdependent, illustrated by the Laos–Thailand relationship:

  • The Laos–Thailand migration corridor is dominated numerically by the outward flow of unskilled Laotians to work in Thailand. Their contribution to the Thai economy is in construction, agriculture, fisheries and factory work; remittances assist development in Laos.
  • The Laos–Thailand Cooperation Committee has been established; completion of the latest Friendship Bridge has helped to strengthen communication and trade – Thailand is the principal access to the sea for Laos. Thailand has funded a large health service development and drugs treatment centre in Laos.
  • Laos and Thailand work together as members of the Mekong River Commission to manage flooding and economic activities in the basin and the Don Sahong hydro-power project (www.mrcmekong.org).
  • Laos signed agreements to build rail links between Thailand and Vietnam in 2012, with which it also has special relations, including a high-speed rail link to China – all of which will open up Laos to development.
  • Laos and Thailand are members of the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT)
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Opportunities.

  • The migration corridor between Laos and Thailand is one of the largest within ASEAN. It has helped to stimulate political and economic co-operation in terms of trade, investment, development projects and security.
  • Bilateral relations with Vietnam also extend beyond reciprocal labour migration. There is economic co-operation, with Vietnam involved in over 400 investment projects in Laos.
  • Migrant remittances are very important to the life of returnees and their families. In Laos 22% of families live below the poverty line and the economic impact of this money on local and national development ranges from purchase of simple domestic appliances to agricultural machinery.
  • Political stability is improving between Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Challenges.

Most economic migrants from Laos are low skilled, of limited education and under 18 at their first migration. Many travel illegally and are vulnerable to human trafficking, forced labour and exploitation. Laos government policy has been difficult to implement and, for its success, depends on transnational governance by organisations such as IOM, ILO and Civil Society.

  • There is loss of skilled labour such as carpenters and mechanics to Thailand. This is set to increase if wage differentials remain high and there is freer movement in the ASEAN Economic Community.
  • The Laos garment industry is the largest sector of manufacturing employment, but its growth depends on improved working conditions in the factories of the Laos capital, Vientiane, and retention of the many young female workers who may leave seeking higher wages in Thailand.
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