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Asian migrant workers locked up, dumped as coronavirus curbs ease

Rina Chandran, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Posted at Dec 24 11:37 PM

Migrant workers in Asia are being locked up and abandoned by employers even as countries ease coronavirus curbs, say human rights groups, which are calling for better housing and changes to visa laws. Read more »

Thai PM blames migrant workers for market coronavirus outbreak

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Dec 23 02:33 AM

SAMUT SAKHON - Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha on Monday blamed a coronavirus outbreak linked to the kingdom's largest seafood market on low-paid migrant workers employed in the country's lucrative shrimp industry. Read more »

Lorenzana: Some 310,000 OFWs repatriated since start of pandemic

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Nov 18 12:09 AM

OFWs have been returning to the Philippines since early March when coronavirus cases rapidly rose worldwide. Read more »

Malaysia lets undocumented migrants work but hardship fears persist

Beh Lih Yi, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Posted at Nov 17 12:11 AM

Malaysia launched a plan on Monday that gives undocumented migrants stuck in the country a chance to work in certain industries, but labour rights groups said the initiative did not do enough to protect victims of human trafficking. Read more »

Japan's aid agency launches support body for foreign workers

Kyodo News
Posted at Nov 16 10:22 PM

The Japan International Cooperation Agency on Monday launched an organization to provide better support for foreign workers in Japan as part of its goal of resolving the societal issues they face by 2030.   Read more »

Migrant-worker rights advocate Toots Ople battling Stage 2 breast cancer

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Oct 29 01:36 AM

Ople, who used to work as Labor undersecretary, heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a non-profit organization that deals with labor and migration issues. Read more »

Duterte urges lawmakers to fast-track creation of agency for OFWs

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Oct 27 11:04 AM

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged lawmakers to speed up the passage of a law creating a new government agency that would focus on Filipino migrant workers, one of his 2016 campaign promises.  Read more »

Oman discusses replacing foreigners with locals in government companies

Reuters
Posted at Oct 21 11:55 PM

Oman is considering replacing foreign workers with Omanis in government-run companies, the state news agency ONA reported on Wednesday. Read more »

More than 254,000 Filipino migrant workers repatriated amid pandemic, Lorenzana says

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Oct 14 10:41 PM

MANILA - More than 254,000 Filipino migrant workers have been repatriated since the coronavirus pandemic started and more are expected to come home to the Philippines, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday night.   Read more »

Tolentino to question constitutionality of Overseas Absentee Voting Act provision

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Oct 01 07:59 PM

Sen. Francis Tolentino said he would question before the Supreme Court the constitutionality of a provision in the Overseas Absentee Voting Act, which he said violates the "fundamental right to vote." Read more »

Over 200,000 Filipinos repatriated since start of pandemic: Lorenzana

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Sep 21 11:26 PM

MANILA - More than 200,000 Filipino migrant workers have been repatriated since the coronavirus pandemic started and more are expected to come home to the Philippines, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said Monday.   Read more »

Workers in Qatar still facing abuses despite promises: HRW

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Aug 24 03:11 PM

Qatar's massive migrant workforce is still being exploited by employers who withhold wages, threaten expulsion, and deduct pay, leaving some staff unable to eat, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.  Read more »

Stranded on ships, 200,000 seafarers struggle in virus limbo

Cecil Morella and Aishwarya Kumar, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jul 20 08:27 AM

Indian ship worker Tejasvi Duseja is desperate to go home after months stranded offshore by coronavirus border closures and lockdowns that have left more than 200,000 seafarers in limbo.   Read more »

Gov't should get loans to stave off OWWA bankruptcy: lawmaker

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 25 07:28 AM

The government should borrow money for programs for migrant workers, a senator said Thursday after the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) warned of a "largely looming" bankruptcy due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more »

Millions of migrant workers head home due to coronavirus: UN

Robin Millard, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Jun 25 12:49 AM

Millions of migrant workers who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to return home to already overburdened labor markets, the UN said Wednesday. Read more »

DFA warns OFWs against posting 'staged' COVID-19-related appeals on social media

Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 24 06:33 PM

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday warned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) against posting "staged" videos on social media, saying a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia has been arrested for posting such video. Read more »

Higit 12,000 OFWs inaasahang babalik na sa Hong Kong

Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jun 24 04:11 PM

Inihayag ng Philippine Consulate General sa Hong Kong na inaasahan na nila ang pagbabalik ng maraming overseas Filipino workers (OFW) sa naturang teritoryo pagsapit ng summer doon.  Read more »

Some 90,000 OFWs yet to receive COVID-19 aid from DOLE: Villanueva

Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Updated as of Jun 23 04:09 PM

Around 90,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have yet to receive financial aid from the government, Sen. Joel Villanueva said Tuesday as he sought for a "labor audit" to show the "real situation" of workers during the global pandemic.   Read more »

Hontiveros, Revilla push for probe on gov't programs for returning OFWs

Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Jun 17 07:01 PM

Two senators on Tuesday pushed for congressional inquiries on the government's programs for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who returned to the Philippines due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more »

Race protests spark calls for Arab states to end 'exploitative' migrant worker system

Ban Barkawi, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Posted at Jun 09 06:40 AM

Global anti-racism protests sparked calls on Monday for Arab countries to abolish an "exploitative" system of sponsorship for migrant workers that has been likened to modern slavery.   Read more »