In The News

Freeze on Thai Labour Going to Gaza Strip

December 4, 2002
Governments of some developing countries encourage and tangibly assist their citizens who are willing to serve as laborers overseas. In Thailand's case, though, the safety of Thai laborers abroad is also garnering the government's attention. After three Thai workers were involved in a shooting in the Jewish settlement of Dolah last week, the Thai government is taking action. The Labor...

Mexican Immigration Still Up in Air

Dane Schiller November 27, 2002
A meeting between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castañeda ended with a $25 million pledge to help coordinate border security efforts between Mexican and US law enforcement officials. The larger issue of whether the US will permit temporary workers to enter the US from Mexico is still elusive, despite being one of Mexican president Vicente Fox's main...

Malaysian State to Whip 400 Illegal Immigrants

November 15, 2002
After a four-month amnesty has expired for all illegal immigrants in Malaysia, one southern state is beginning to crackdown on stragglers. Over 400 illegal immigrants will be whipped for their failure to depart. These punitive measures have been decried by Indonesia and the Philippines. Yet along with such cruel and unusual punishment, Malaysia also seems to be biting the hand that feeds it....

A Road That Death Often Travels

Norimitsu Onishi September 18, 2002
For many in West and Central Africa, the only hope for decent work lies in reaching Libya, and from there Europe and the Americas. For these illegal immigrants, the journey often means traveling across the punishing Sahara desert. But while surviving the trip is a victory itself, it is no guarantee that they will find the better life they seek. – YaleGlobal

Immigration Reform and National Security

Tamar Jacoby September 16, 2002
Despite Mexican President Vicente Fox’s appeal to the U.S. Congress last year for more favorable immigration policies, the issue of immigration reform has been swept under the proverbial rug. The plan proposed to increase the number of visas for Mexican workers and to legalize the status of many previously undocumented workers in the U.S. A year after the plan first reached Washington, issues...

Indonesia Must Learn from Illegal Migrant Issue

Philips Jusario Vermonte August 28, 2002
Unemployment in Indonesia is widespread, and jobs are hard to find. An estimated 600,000 Indonesians have migrated to neighboring Malaysia and taken jobs. About 400,000 of those are working in Malaysia illegally. To protect its domestic labor market, Malaysia recently passed a strong anti-immigration law, and thousands of Indonesian workers will soon be deported. The Indonesian government is...

Amnesty Urges Malaysia to Stop Whipping Illegals

Reuters August 12, 2002
Until recently, caning was an infrequent practice in Malaysia, authorized as a supplementary punishment for many crimes but used only 13 times in 2001. The practice has been revived now as a punishment for illegal immigrants, most of whom come from Indonesia. Amnesty International has requested that the practice be stopped, calling it cruel and unlikely to deter immigrants or asylum-seekers....