EARLIER this year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) was faced with the problem of thousands of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya minority seeking refuge in Thailand and Indonesia.
The Philippines took the moral high ground, and declared that these people would not be turned away if they reached Philippine territory.
People fleeing from sovereign nations to other countries is a complicated issue once initial humanitarian provisions for these groups have been provided.
In 2014 a few Rohingya reached the Philippines and were given assistance for some five months, until they could be relocated to a place where they could permanently settle.
The seriousness of international refugees is not to be taken lightly. However, a potentially larger problem will come with the continuing process of Asean integration.
Thailand’s Vice Chairman of the Board of Trade Dr. Jingjai Hanchanlash said this at an economic leadership forum in Bangkok on June 30. “The major problem would be the free movement of labor. This is going to be a big problem for Thailand and other Asean [countries].”
While the Myanmar government considers that the Rohingya people are not citizens of Myanmar, other nations prefer to take the legal view that they are Myanmar citizens.
The coming Asean Economic Community (AEC) will allow its members to enjoy the free movement of goods, services and investments, as well as capital and skilled labor. This is similar to the situation of free capital and labor movement in the European Union.
People, particularly students in Cambodia and Myanmar, have voiced deep concern about foreign nationals from other Asean countries entering to take up those skilled positions. An experienced Filipino mining engineer might take a job away from a Cambodian fresh graduate.
The AEC is going to be a slow and detailed process that will face clarifications and revisions as we go along. But the key to the stake that the Philippines has in the AEC is preparation.
As Jingjai said: “When we start the AEC next year, I do not think the problem will only be for Thailand but also for the nine other countries, because we are not used to this kind of free movement. We already have immigrant labor in the country, and they are from our Asean friends. So, how are we going to regulate those movements?”
The question is, then, will Thailand and Indonesia treat the Rohingya as “oppressed refugees” or Asean job seekers taking advantage of the new open borders for labor? It is an interesting legal question.
How will the Philippines react to skilled professionals coming from other Asean countries in light of specific employment reserved to Philippine citizens in our laws and regulations? What will be our government’s response to efforts by other nations to restrict Filipino skilled workers from looking for jobs in their countries?
All Asean countries are going to have to balance their national priorities and needs with the overall goals of Asean integration. This is not going to be quick or easy.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano