UPON returning from a visit to Saudi Arabia as a guest of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud Prime Minister Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today (Jan. 27) ordered the Labour Ministry to expedite the recruitment of Thai workers to go work there setting a two-month deadline for concrete results, Naewna newspaper said.
Mr. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office, said during Gen. Prayut’s official visit to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 25-26 he held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud with both sides agreeing on steps to take to restore bilateral relations.
Consultation mechanism is being established to promote bilateral cooperation and discuss cooperation in key strategic areas.
Thai Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin held talks with Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, with both sides agreeing to develop labour cooperation especially in service sectors including hotel and healthcare businesses as well as the construction industry, particularly large projects.
Thanakorn added that it is the Labour Ministry’s Skill Development Department and the labour office in Riyadh which will be in charge of liasing with the Saudi side.
At present there are 1,345 Thai workers in Saudi Arabia with most of them having travelled there on their own with their employers enrolling them into the re-entry system. They have taken up various jobs inlcuding as welders, technicians, mechanics, assistant cooks and housekeepers.
It is expected that there will be an exchange of ministerial visits and trips by labour recruitment companies and other labor related agencies to ensure tangible results are obtained as soon as possible.
“The Prime Minister emphasised that the recruitment of Thai workers must be done immediately with concrete results within two months to provide opportunities for Thai people…
“The success of the discussions with Saudi Arabia this time, which is an historic development, was not a stroke of good luck but the result of the efforts the Thai government made over the past six years. It is believed that from now on there will be continuous cooperation in other dimensions for the mutual benefit of both countries and their peoples,” Thanakorn said.
CAPTION:
Top and Home Page: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud meets Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in Riyadh on Tuesday Jan.25, 2022, as first official talks after 30 years get underway. Photos: SPA and published by Alarabiya News
