EMBASSY NEWS & EVENTS (2009)
U.S. Embassy Hosts Speaker on Migrant Workers
On June 18 and 19, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai hosted speaker Dr. Philip Martin, a labor economist at the University of California, Davis for a series of interesting discussions on migrant workers.
In Bangkok, the Embassy, in coordination with the Chula Global Network and the Asian Research Center for Migration of Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Asian Studies, hosted a special presentation by Professor Philip Martin of the University of California, Davis on the topic of “The Employment of Migrant Workers During an Economic Crisis: the U.S. Experience.” Attendees included representatives from the Royal Thai government, academia, civil society, and international organizations.
In Chiang Mai, the Consulate hosted a presentation attended by over 32 participants from several provinces of northern Thailand including provincial and local government officials from immigration, judiciary, and law Enforcement agencies and members of NGOs, including ethnic Burmese groups that advocate on behalf of migrant workers. The Deputy Governor of Tak Province, which borders Burma and is home to thousands of Burmese migrant workers, attended for the full day.
Professor Martin’s presentations provided a general overview of how the United States integrates immigrants and migrant workers into the U.S. economy and society and included discussion on the economic problems facing the United States as well. During the dynamic question and answer sessions that followed Dr. Martin’s formal presentation, participants raised questions on a wide range of topics such as cooperation between nations that receive migrants and countries of origin, the rights of migrant workers, and possibilities of extending permanent residency or citizenship for migrant workers.
Professor Martin is a labor economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on farm labor, rural poverty, labor migration, economic development, immigration policy, and guest worker issues. He is also the editor of the publication Migration News.