REPRESSION AND RESILIENCE COVID-19 Response Measures and Migrant Workers’ Rights in Major East and Southeast Asian Destinations HUMAN RIGHTS WORKING GROUP (HRWG) REPRESSION AND RESILIENCE COVID-19 Response Measures and Migrant Workers’ Rights in Major East and Southeast Asian Destinations Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) Repression and Resilience: COVID-19 Response Measures and Migrant Workers’ Rights in Major East and Southeast Asian Destinations Author: Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) Table of Contents This publication is written through a collective process, unless specified otherwise in a specific section or chapter, led by Mariko Hayashi in collaboration with Daniel Awigra and Adeline Tinessia, based on information and data collected and analysed by the field researchers, Fifi Ng Lok Hei, Jotaro Kato, Andika Ab. Wahab, Jolovan Wham, Young- Abbreviations • iv il Choi, Ronel Chakma Nani, Lennon Ying-Dah Wong, and Suebsakun Tables and Figures • viii Kidnukorn (in order of relevant chapters). The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of HRWG. Acknowledgements • ix Editor: Foreword • xi Adeline Tinessia Editor’s Note • xv Lay-out: Agus Wiyono Chapter 1: Introduction • 1 ISBN: 978-623-94398-1-1 Chapter 2: Hong Kong • 14 First Published in Jakarta in 2020 Chapter 3: Japan • 43 Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) Indonesia Yarnati Building, Room 207D, Proklamasi Street, No. 44 Chapter 4: Malaysia • 66 Menteng, Central Jakarta, Indonesia 10320 Phone: 021-3902579, 021-29922459, Fax: 021-2902579 Chapter 5: Singapore • 89 e-mail: [email protected] Chapter 6: South Korea • 115 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HRWG.Indonesia Twitter: @HRWG_Indonesia Chapter 7: Taiwan • 141 Copyrights © 2020 by Human Rights Working Group Chapter 8: Thailand • 165 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, Chapter 9: Conclusion and Proposed Guidelines • 188 distributed, published or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical Project Team • 200 methods, without the prior written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other About HRWG • 201 noncommercial uses permitted under copyrights law. ii iii CSD Correctional Services Department (Hong Kong) CSO Civil Society Organisation EMCO Enhanced Movement Control Order (Malaysia) Abbreviations EPS Employment Permit System (South Korea) FADWU Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Union (Hong Kong) FAQ Frequently Asked Questions FDH Foreign Domestic Helper (Hong Kong) ACPHEED ASEAN Regional Center on Public Health Emergencies FOC Flag of Convenience and Emerging Disease GCM Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration ACRF ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework GDP Gross Domestic Product AFML ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour HOME Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics ALM ASEAN Labour Ministers (Singapore) ALQ Alternate Local Quarantine (Thailand) HRWG Human Rights Working Group AMCB Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (Hong Kong) ILO International Labour Organization APIL Advocate for Public Interest Law (South Korea) IOM International Organization for Migration APTERR ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve IUU Illegal, unreported and unregulated ARC Alien Resident Card (Taiwan) JCMK Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea (South ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations Korea) BCA Building and Construction Authority (Singapore) JBM Jaringan Buruh Migran CARE Centre for Culture-Centred Approach to Research & Eval- JSS Jobs Support Scheme (Singapore) uation (Singapore) KCDC Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CCC Clean Clothes Campaign (South Korea) CCSA Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (Thailand) KIIP Korea Immigration and Integration Program (South Korea) CIS Commonwealth of Independent States MCO Movement Control Order (Malaysia) CMCO Conditional Movement Control Order (Malaysia) METI Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan) COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 iv v MEXT Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Tech- SMEs Small and Medium Sized Enterprises nology (Japan) SMJ Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan (Japan) MHV Migrant Health Volunteers (Thailand) SLS Supplementary Labour Scheme (Hong Kong) MIAC Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (Japan) SPA Serve the People Association, Taoyuan (Taiwan) MOFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs SOCSO Social Security Organization (Malaysia) MOH Ministry of Health (Malaysia) SO Supervising Organisation (Japan) MOHR Ministry of Human Resources (Malaysia) SOP Standard Operating Procedures MOJ Ministry of Justice (Japan) SSO Social Security Office (Thailand) MOL Ministry of Labour (Taiwan) SSW Specified Skilled Workers (Japan) MOM Minister of Manpower (Singapore) SUHAKAM Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Malaysia) MOU Memoranda of Understanding Taiwan CDC Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan) MTUC Malaysian Trade Union Congress (Malaysia) TITP Technical Intern Training Program (Japan) NGO Non-Governmental Organisation TRA Taiwan Railway Administration (Taiwan) NHI National Health Insurance (Taiwan) TWC2 Transient Workers Count Too (Singapore) NHRC National Human Rights Commission UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees NIA National Immigration Agency (Taiwan) VHW Volunteer Health Workers (Thailand) OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for WHO World Health Organization Human Rights OSH Occupational Safety and Health OTIT Organization for Technical Intern Training (Japan) PBD Purpose Built Dormitories (Singapore) PPE Personal Protective Equipment PR Permanent Resident (Singapore) PSP Prihatin Screening Programme (Malaysia) RELA Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department (Malaysia) SBMI Serikat Buruh Migran Indonesia vi vii Tables and Figures Acknowledgements Table 1: Number of Active Migrant Workers with Visit Pass his book is a collaborative work done with an ardent support Temporary Employment (VP-TE), by Nationality, June of a plethora of parties. First and foremost, we would like to 2019 (Malaysia) ..................................................................... 67 express our sincere gratitude for the Sasakawa Peace Table 2: Number of Samples Taken, Awaiting Results and T Foundation (SPF) that has generously provided support to us during Positive COVID-19 Cases among Non-Citizens in Four the last three years. Immigration Detention Centres, as of 3 June 2020 We are particularly indebted to Mariko Hayashi for her leadership (Malaysia) .............................................................................. 73 and dedication. We are deeply grateful to all of our field researchers; Table 3: Number of E-9 Visa Holders by Sub-category (South Fifi Ng Lok Hei from migrant solidarity committee, autonomous 8a Korea)..................................................................................... 117 in Hong Kong, Jotaro Kato, Research Associate, Institute of Asian Table 4: Numbers of Migrant Workers by Industry (Taiwan) ........ 142 Migrations, Comprehensive Research Organization, Waseda Table 5: Number of Migrant Workers by Nationality and Gender University in Japan, Andika Ab. Wahab, Fellow, Institute of Malaysian (Taiwan) ................................................................................. 142 & International Studies (IKMAS), National University of Malaysia Figure 1: Chronology of Malaysia’s Movement Control Order, 18 (UKM) in Malaysia, Jolovan Wham, Humanitarian Organisation for March 2020 to 31 August 2020 (Malaysia) ........................ 69 Migration Economics (HOME) in Singapore, Young-il Choi, Center Chief, Gimpo Foreign Citizen Support Center and Ronel Chakma Figure 2: The Number of New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Nani, Counselling Officer, Gimpo Foreign Citizen Support Center in Singapore, 1 March –5 May 2020 (Singapore) .................. 95 South Korea, Lennon Ying-Dah Wong, Director, Service Center and Figure 3: The New Lobby Floor of Taipei Train Station (Taiwan) .... 154 Shelter for Migrant Workers Serve the People Association, Taoyuan Figure 4: Thai-Myanmar Border: Thai-Myanmar Friendship (SPA) in Taiwan, Suebsakun Kidnukorn, Social Innovation Research Bridge No.1 and Sai River in Chiang Rai Province Center (AB – SIRC), School of Social Innovation, Mae Fah Luang (Thailand) ............................................................................... 180 University in Thailand and Adeline Tinessia, Australian National Figure 5: Location of Chiang Rai Province (Thailand) ....................... 182 University Australia. It would not have been possible without their persistence and hard work behind the completion of this study. viii ix We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the migrant workers communities in seven migrant destinations who gave us trust and shared their stories to our researchers. Without their stories, this research will never be relevant and meaningful. We thank Cecille Montenegro for her powerful artwork for this Foreword book cover and Agus Wiyono for his graphic design and layout. We are also grateful to Eni Lestari, Chairperson International Migrant Alliance for her support in connecting us with her strong network in Hong Kong and internationally. Thank you also to Seonyoung Seo from South Korea and Anil Jaya Kumar from Singapore for their support. We would like to thank the Institute of Asian Migrations oronavirus or COVID-19 is a horrible plague, a global health and Waseda Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies