Over a million workers, most from Myanmar, are facing deportation from Thailand. The Thai government says that after a deadline Friday to obtain work permits, those who want to re-enter Thailand will need legal documents. The program requires workers to get temporary passports from their home countries to apply for work permits. If they do so, they are given equal rights with Thai workers, including as much as a 35% increase in the minimum wage. Advocates for workers say that the policy will cause a labor shortage, and will lead to corruption and workers' rights abuses. For workers from Myanmar, obtaining the proper documents can be next to impossible, since some are denied citizenship by the government.
See "Over 1 million migrant workers in Thailand face deportation", Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Reuters, December 13, 2012