Thailand will send a delegation to Taiwan this week in an effort to settle a dispute over Thai laborers that has tested Bangkok's "one China" policy, Thai officials said yesterday.
Labor Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said the Thai negotiating team, led by the ministry's permanent secretary, Aphai Chantanachulaka, would try to improve the lot of thousands of Thai workers in Taiwan while not angering Beijing.
"We want to reach an understanding with our counterparts in Taiwan," Suwat said. "We have a diplomatic relationship with China, but we also have an economic relationship with Taiwan. Thailand is trying to avoid any conflicts or misunderstandings with both sides."
The dispute, which threatens the livelihood of some 180,000 Thai workers, was touched off by the abrupt cancellation in August of a visa for Council of Labor Affairs Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊), who had been invited to witness the signing in Thailand of a bilateral agreement to help Thai workers.
Thai officials said the cancellation was aimed at assuring Beijing that Thailand was sticking to its "one China" policy.
The abrupt cancellation of the visa angered the council, which said it would "indefinitely postpone" a labor agreement with Thailand.
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