Hsu/Pearl (NP News) - November 4
A source close to overseas employment agency businesses told The Statesman Journal that red tape needs to be relaxed in order to boost foreign currency remittances from Myanmar migrant workers abroad.
Currently, overseas Myanmar migrant workers are reportedly facing difficulties due to documentary procedures when extending their passport validity, taking leave to return home, and traveling abroad again.
“In the labor sector, there are many bureaucratic barriers. For example, when Myanmar workers return, they request leave letters. In Japan, some people work in ordinary restaurants and similar businesses, or in small factories that are somewhat managed informally. So, even if the employers want to issue leave letters, because they are not used to doing so, they sometimes don’t provide them because they don’t know what format to use. The Japanese are very restricted. When the workers return here, if they don’t have such leave letters, they have to forge them and bring them. And when they are about to leave again, they all end up in trouble,” the source told The Statesman Journal.
The source suggested that government departments streamline procedures and cut redundant paperwork for individuals who can prove they sent overseas remittances.
He said: “Even after arriving at the airport, there are still holdups. When they see that there is a little money in the passport booklet, if you give them a tip, things go quickly. If you don’t tip, they keep asking questions and making you go through everything. Those kinds of things should be fixed. After coming back, they are required to submit a letter from Nay Pyi Taw in order to leave. In reality, what is needed is only the Confirmation Letter showing that a remittance has been transferred. If that is included, all the other requirements should be waived. If they say it also falls under their military-service age or something like that, that is one thing. But if not, it should normally be possible to complete everything easily and without difficulties.”
The source suggested using email for passport renewals to streamline the process and avoid lengthy delays.
He said: “There are passport extensions. Some say it takes three or six months—communicating with the office in Myanmar that reissues the book, going through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or not coming back yet. In this age of e-government, can’t they handle things quickly through email? When it seems they are deliberately making things difficult, how are people supposed to feel about sending money? In fact, this should definitely be handled as a matter of mobilization. Actually, it is not mobilization. These things must be provided as a public service. They are things that must be done for people who are working for the country.”
The source added that instead of simply urging overseas workers to send money home, the government must also ensure remittance services are fast, convenient, and efficient.
He said: “Over there, the exchange rate for money is good. On this side, there’s no change. They don’t want to transfer. In Japan, visas can be extended if there are valid reasons for people whose passports have expired or who don’t have documents. When things are like that, of course they don’t want to l eave. People have gradually developed the mindset that they can get by without having any dealings with Myanmar. When everything is made difficult, they no longer want to be involved. They will simply stay abroad for as long as they are allowed to. They also begin to think that the government might change in another five years and that these restrictions might disappear.”
Therefore, he said that reducing red tape, setting exchange rates in line with market conditions, making formal remittance systems more convenient, and considering tax benefits for migrant workers should also be carried out.
“If they are also going to make the exchange rate float, then it will be transferred only through official channels—all of it. So, for those people who transfer their salaries through the proper official channel, because they are earning foreign currency for the country, the government should not make them pay Income Tax, but instead give them incentives. The State should reduce their burdens. The ‘red-tape’ system also needs to be greatly reduced. For example, we need to consider all the areas in which the state can provide services for them,” he said. –
