The Labour Ministry on Sunday dismissed claims that foreign migrant workers who came under a labour cooperation agreement between Thailand and its neighbours need to pay up to 20,000 baht to have their work permits renewed.
The claims were made by opposition MPs during a recent meeting in parliament, called to discuss the problems faced by migrant workers in the country.
Ministry spokesman Phumphat Muanchan said the cost of extending such permits generally do not go beyond 7,600 baht per person, adding the amount covers visa and work permit processing fees, a health check-up, medical insurance, and a 1,000-baht deposit which can be claimed at the end of the two-year contract.
When asked if he thought the extension fee was reasonable considering migrant workers' income, Mr Phumphat said it is needed to cover the cost of medical check-ups and identity verification, which is needed to ensure workers' rights are protected.
Separately, Phanuwat Pankate, director-general of the Department of Health Service Support (DHSS), said private hospitals have been reminded to adhere to the regulations when providing check-ups to migrant workers.
He issued the warning in response to reports that claimed many private practitioners are selling medical certificates to migrant workers without actually carrying out any tests.
Dr Phanuwat said health screening is the nation's first line of defence against public health threats. As of November last year, a total of 3,350,969 migrant workers were registered with authorities.
In a separate development, nine Myanmar nationals were arrested in Pathum Thani when the taxi they were travelling in was intercepted by police, police said.
The workers claimed they had paid 12,000 baht to brokers to be taken from Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district to the inner province, according to police.
The driver, who was charged with facilitating human trafficking, told police he was paid 400 baht per head to take the workers from Ayutthaya to Pathum Thani. He said they were dropped off at the pick-up location on the back of a truck.